The Company Cruise
by Zhanice
Summary: New business partners Rumford Gold and Moe French reward their staff with a week-long Caribbean cruise. Gold is an unwilling traveler until he meets Moe's daughter, Belle. Moe is hoping that she'll connect with one of the young men from their office. Unbeknownst to him, she has more in common with Gold than with any of them.
1. Day 1: Introductions

Rumford Gold wasn't sure what "casual" was supposed to mean. He was reviewing the itinerary that had been left on his bed and it said that this evening's dress for dinner was to be "casual". He was in the master bedroom of the "Magic" suite on the "Enchanted Maiden" cruise ship. His business partner of one year, Moe French, had convinced him that they should reward their staff for the remarkable success they'd had this past year by treating them all to a Caribbean cruise. Gold had not been against rewarding everyone. What bothered him was that they were all embarking on this cruise together. Gold would be spending the next week with the seven young men and women who worked for them and a couple of their guests. The staff had been extremely excited about the whole idea of the trip. Gold had personally been dreading it. He'd even suggested to Moe that he skip it, arguing that the staff would feel more comfortable out of his presence. But Moe had insisted, claiming that they'd be able to share a suite which they could use to conduct business as needed.

Gold and Moe had arrived together. As promised, the suite was outfitted to accommodate them both personally and professionally. They would easily be able to deal with any business matters that arose. They'd decided that Gold would take the master bedroom which was located on the lower level of the suite. Moe and his daughter, Belle, who was Moe's guest, would take the 2 bedrooms located on the upper level. Gold had been a bit hesitant about sharing a suite with a young woman he'd never met, but Moe had assured him that Belle would be spending most of her time with the other young people from the office. She would not be spending much time in the common areas of the suite.

Gold walked out of his bedroom through the sliding glass door and onto the huge balcony. He was still dressed in his suit pants and a buttoned up blue shirt. He undid a couple of the buttons and looked out to the harbor. They were still docked and not scheduled to leave for several hours. He walked the length of the balcony and then reentered the suite through the living room door.

"Hello." A young woman with the most beautiful blue eyes he'd ever seen greeted him. She walked toward him and extended her hand. "You must be Mr. Gold. I'm Belle French."

Gold took her hand in his. "Yes, I'm Rumford Gold. It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Miss French." He couldn't take his eyes off hers.

"Please call me Belle." She smiled at him with the most enchanting smile he'd ever seen.

"Belle… How fitting." He felt like an idiot saying it, but it came out before he could stop himself.

"Belle!" Moe's voice rang down from the second level. Gold realized that he was still holding her hand and quickly released it. She smiled at him again before looking up to greet her father.

"I see you two have met." Moe was descending the stairs. "What do you think, old man? Isn't she a beauty?"

"She's enchanting." Gold caught her eye as he said it and he noticed her blushing slightly. Enchanting indeed.

"The young men on this cruise are going to be climbing over one another to get to know her." Moe was beaming. Belle's blush had become more pronounced.

"Dad, I told you I came on this cruise to get some rest. I'm not interested in romance." She reprimanded him.

"Yes, yes. Whatever you want, Belle."

"I'm glad you understand. Now maybe you can show me my room. I'd like to change and relax on the balcony for a while before we go to dinner."

"Of course, sweetheart. It's just up the stairs to the left."

"Thanks. I'll see you in a bit." She turned to Gold. "We'll have to get to know each other better later if we're going to be suitemates." She smiled her enchanting smile again and headed up to the second level.

Gold felt himself smiling after her. Moe let out a huge guffaw that jarred Gold. "You should see yourself, Gold. I think Belle has charmed you. Too bad you're old enough to be her father." Moe laughed again and slapped Gold on the back. "Not that I'd want you near her even if you were younger. She needs a handsome young man like Gaston. Someone who can draw her out of herself. There's a reason you're no longer married, old man."

Gold felt irritated by Moe's words. Granted, he was much too old for Belle, and he certainly wasn't now, nor had he ever been, handsome or outgoing. But Gaston? He didn't know Belle at all, but the one thing he did know was that Gaston was not good enough for her. He was Moe's protégé, but Gold didn't know what the man saw in him.

Gold smiled a sour smile at him. "I'm sure your daughter is quite capable of meeting young men without your interference. She's lovely and charming. Did it ever occur to you that maybe she just hasn't met the right person? You can't force these things to happen."

Moe looked at him thoughtfully and then burst out laughing again. "Is that what you did when you got married? Waited for the right woman to appear? That didn't work out so well now, did it?"

Gold glared at him before answering. "The problem was that I didn't wait for the right one. That's what went wrong. You don't want that for Belle, do you?"

Moe looked surprised. "Well, we'll just have to see. I'm not planning to force anything. I may just do some subtle encouraging. Belle won't even know I'm doing it."

Gold rolled his eyes and chuckled to himself. There was nothing subtle about Moe French.

Gold found himself glancing up to the second level several times. Belle's room had a private balcony so there was no reason to think she'd be coming back downstairs. He felt the need to see her again, but had a feeling it would have to wait until dinner. He finally went back to his room and attempted to make sense out of the itinerary again. He walked back out onto the balcony and made himself comfortable on one of the lounge chairs.

"Hello again." Belle's voice startled him.

He turned to see her reading on a lounge chair further down the balcony.

"Hello, Belle." He smiled at her, rather pleased to see her there.

"Aren't you warm with all that clothing on?" She giggled as her eyes surveyed him still dressed in a long-sleeved shirt and dress pants.

"Yes… I don't think I planned correctly for this trip." He noticed that she was in a very short sundress that displayed her extremely shapely legs. He unbuttoned another button on his shirt. He wasn't sure if it was the heat or Belle making him so warm.

"Don't you have a T-shirt and shorts that you can put on for now?" Belle was smiling at him.

"I don't own any T-shirts."

Belle giggled again. "The cruise line gave us all free T-shirts. Mine was in my top dresser drawer. You must have one too."

Gold smiled and got up. "I'll go look." He watched her as he edged his way back into the room.

He found the shirt immediately and began to undress. His fingers seemed to have trouble with the buttons. If he didn't know better he'd think he was nervous about Belle. This was crazy thinking. He'd change, go back outside and ask her about the itinerary. Yes, that's what he needed to do.

"That's much better." Belle commented as soon as she saw him. She patted the seat next to her.

Gold froze. Did she want him to sit down beside her? He wasn't sure what to do so he made his way over using the itinerary as his excuse.

"I was hoping you could help me decipher this. Do you have any idea what I should wear to dinner tonight? It says casual dress." He pointed it out to her. He had expected to wear a suit to every meal so this turn of events had put him out of his comfort zone.

"You're not used to being casual." She stated it as though it were a fact.

"Am I that obvious?" He grinned at her and she felt a little tingle run through her. He had the sexiest smile she'd ever seen.

"Yes, pretty much." She smiled more widely now. "Plus my father told me that you're rather formal." She leaned forward as though to observe him more closely.

The first thing that went through his mind was that he wanted to kiss her. The second thing was that he needed to stop thinking that way. His voice sounded unsteady when he spoke. "So can you help me out?"

"Of course, Mr. Gold. It's very simple. If you wear a pair of slacks and a polo shirt you'll be fine." She grinned at him. Then she continued. "I like your long hair. It's very sexy."

Gold almost choked even though there was nothing to choke on. He stared at her with a look of shock on his face.

She grinned. "Don't look so surprised. You're a very attractive man. I'm just voicing the obvious."

Gold had never been so thrown off his game in his life. He could almost feel himself blushing. Not so much at what she said, but because he realized that he liked her and what she said had given him a crazy hope. She was obviously just being nice. He had to remind himself of that before he made a complete fool of himself.

Gold finally regained his composure. "I have to say that you've practically rendered me speechless, my dear. That's quite a feat."

Belle giggled again. "I wouldn't want to do that. I love listening to your voice and lovely accent."

Gold just sat there grinning at her. "I'm very intrigued by you, Belle. I'm looking forward to getting to know you better." He knew he was playing with fire, but he didn't care.

"I think this week is going to be a lot more fun than I initially expected." She looked at him in a way that made him think some rather naughty thoughts. This was now getting dangerous. A little flirting was OK, but this really couldn't go beyond that.

"Till dinner then, my dear." Gold took her hand and kissed it. Belle felt another tingle run through her.

"Let's all go together. I want to make sure I sit next to you. I'm going to need you to help protect me from my father's matchmaking efforts."

Gold felt his heart sink. So that's why she was being so nice to him.

"I'm perfectly capable of doing my own matchmaking. The men he thinks I'll like are very superficial. I want someone who has lots of layers to him." She looked at him seriously this time. "I think you have a lot of layers."

With that she put her head back in her book. "I'll see you later."

"Yes, I'll see you later." Gold barely made his way back to his room. What exactly was going on here? Was she flirting with him? Was she just very direct? Did she really find him attractive and sexy? Gold thought about her shapely legs and enchanting smile. He was attracted to her. Not good. This was not good.

Gold spent the next hour in his room trying not to think about Belle. He reviewed the itinerary for the week and found that he would need casual attire for three of the seven scheduled dinners. One of the three dinners would have a tropical theme. He had polo shirts and slacks, but he was planning to wear them during the day. He didn't have enough for dinner also. As luck would have it, the valet assigned to their suite finally presented himself and Gold was able to ask him to order some appropriate clothing for him from the men's clothing store aboard the ship. There would also be two informal and two formal nights. The valet assured him that he already had the proper attire for those evenings.

His clothing arrived pressed and ready to wear well before he needed them. He glanced outside and noted that Belle was gone. It was still too early to get ready for dinner.

A knock at his door got his attention. "Mr. Gold. It's Belle." He rushed over to open it.

Belle was standing there with two life jackets in her hand. "There's going to be a mandatory lifeboat drill before the ship departs. We have to wear our life jackets and follow the arrows to our lifeboat station. I wasn't sure if you were aware of it."

"No, I wasn't, my dear. As you can tell I'm completely out of my element." He grinned as he took one of the life jackets from her. "When is it scheduled?"

"We should hear the signal in 15 minutes. We have to wear the life jackets and I thought it would be a good idea to practice putting them on before the last minute."

"Excellent idea, Belle." She was now completely in his room and had closed the door behind her.

"Where's your father? Is he aware of the drill?" Gold had backed up, suddenly uncomfortably aware of the fact that this young woman was alone with him in his bedroom.

"He knows. He needed to check on something so he took his life jacket with him. We'll see him at the muster station. Should we get ready?" She began to put the life jacket on and Gold followed suit.

It wasn't as simple as he expected but he managed to get it on correctly after struggling for a couple of minutes. When he looked up at her he burst out laughing. "You have it on upside down."

Belle laughed at herself and blushed. "You'll find that I'm completely uncoordinated."

Gold had an uncontrollable urge to kiss her. Instead he helped her remove the life jacket and put it on correctly. "Thank you, Mr. Gold." She looked into his eyes. The urge got stronger.

A long ear-shattering alarm made both of them jump and then laugh. It was followed by several other shorter alarms. "That's the signal. We need to go." Gold retrieved his cane and Belle took his free hand. "Follow me." She led him through the hallway, up the stairs and to their station. His hand was in hers the whole time. When they arrived at the station, Moe was already there. Gold felt very aware of the fact that his hand was still in Belle's when he saw Moe. "Your daughter was kind enough to help an old man find his way to the lifeboats."

Moe beamed. "She's a real gem. Isn't she, old man?"

"Yes." Gold looked at Belle and smiled. "She's quite remarkable."

Belle blushed ever so slightly as she smiled back at him. Then she looked at her father. "We were the perfect team. Mr. Gold helped me with my life jacket and I helped him find his way here." She smiled again at Gold and then stood next to him and linked her arm in his.

Moe slapped Gold on the back again. "Looks like you've charmed my daughter, Gold. Pretty impressive for an old man."

Gold grimaced. Belle squeezed his arm and whispered in his ear. "He's right. You have charmed me."

Gold felt something he knew he shouldn't, but it felt so good that he didn't care.

The drill master called them all to attention and then proceeded to review a long list of safety procedures with them. Belle kept her arm entwined with Gold's the whole time. When the drill was over Gold, Moe and Belle walked back to the room together. This time Belle didn't hold his hand.

When they got back to the suite they all parted ways to return to their rooms.

"Let's meet at 7:45pm. We can walk over to the dining room together." She looked directly at Gold as she said it.

"You heard her, Gold. She's going to help you out again. We wouldn't want you to get lost." Moe laughed heartily again.

"As I said earlier, she's quite remarkable." Gold looked directly into Belle's eyes and smiled at her. "I'll see you in a little while." He turned and entered his room.

Belle couldn't hide her smile. "You look radiant, Belle. I told you this cruise would be good for you." Moe was pleased with himself. He couldn't wait to introduce her to Gaston and the other men from the office at dinner. He had a feeling that she was going to find what she'd been looking for this week. And it would be all thanks to his "interference" as Gold had called it.


	2. Day 1: Dinner

Gold was ready for dinner well before the agreed upon time. He didn't want to appear too anxious so he decided to enjoy the view from the balcony while he was waiting. The ship had set sail right after the lifeboat drill and they were now out at sea. He'd heeded Belle's advice and ditched the button-down shirt and suit for casual pants and a lilac polo shirt. He wasn't sure that he liked the color, but at least it wasn't pink.

"Hello there." Belle's voice surprised and soothed him at the same time. He looked up to see her standing on the balcony that was adjoined to her room. "I'll be down in a minute… You look nice."

She disappeared before he had time to respond and emerged onto the main balcony within seconds.

She was wearing a rather short light blue and white sundress and low sandals. Her hair was pulled back and she was wearing very little makeup. Her natural beauty took Gold's breath away. "Good evening, Belle. You look remarkably lovely tonight." He smiled at her and she felt her heart flutter. His smile seemed to have that effect on her.

"Thank you." She smiled back at him. "The casual look suits you, Mr. Gold. Does it make you feel more relaxed?"

He thought for a moment before answering. "Yes, actually." He wasn't sure if it was the casual dress or Belle's presence, but either way, he felt more at ease than usual.

"There you two are!" Moe's booming voice interrupted them. "Belle's like you, Gold. Always early. Used to drive me crazy. I always thought that women were supposed to make you wait, but that was never the case with Belle." He now looked carefully at Gold and burst out laughing. "I almost don't recognize you, old man. I don't think I've ever seen you out of a suit… I like it. What do you think, Belle? Not bad, eh?"

Belle looked directly into Gold's eyes. "I think he looks very handsome." Gold gulped in response. He hoped Moe didn't have any idea what he was thinking.

"Well if you think that's handsome, wait until you meet the young men from our office. They're going to knock your socks off." Moe was gleeful just thinking about it.

"Yes, Dad." Belle kept her eyes locked with Gold's. "I can hardly wait." She moved closer to Gold and hooked her arm in his and then hooked her other arm in Moe's. "We should get going. It's quite a walk. This ship is huge and nothing's close by." She led them out and they began the trek to the main dining room. Gold was happy just to have her arm linked with his.

Moe decided that this was the perfect time to plug some of the finer qualities of his employees for Belle's sake. It wouldn't hurt for her to know something about each of them.

"Let me tell you a little about the young people you'll be meeting tonight, Belle. I think you're going to like them and enjoy spending time with them on this cruise." He looked over her head at Gold and winked at him. Gold pretended not to notice. He was not about to be a party to Moe's foolishness. Especially since he rather fancied Belle himself, which he supposed was just as foolish in its own way.

"OK…" Moe began. "First off there's Jefferson. He's a handsome lad… quite brilliant. I never know what he's talking about, but I think you'll like him, Belle. You'll understand him, being as smart as you are." He turned to Gold. "What do you say, Gold? Anything to add?"

Gold gave him an amused look. "Hats… He's obsessed with hats."

Belle giggled. "What do you mean?"

"He collects hats. He wears a different one every day of the year. I'm sure you'll see a variety of them this week." Gold grinned at her.

"I think I like him already. He's sounds a bit eccentric." Belle was starting to enjoy this.

"Uh, yes…" Moe wasn't sure what to think so he went on to the next prospect. "Then there's Graham… very handsome, quiet, sensitive young man… very kind… a perfect gentleman…"

Gold interjected. "Wolves… He's obsessed with wolves."

Belle giggled again. "He collects wolves?" She grinned at Gold.

He chuckled. "Not quite. He's a big animal advocate, but the wolf is his main focus. I'm sure he'll discuss it with you tonight at dinner if you have a chance to speak to him."

"I think I like him too. I have a soft spot in my heart for animals and anyone who advocates for them. He sounds lovely."

"Yes…" Moe was anxious for her to hear about Gaston, but he was saving the best for last. "Then there's David. Another handsome young man… very honorable and hard-working… a real prince."

Belle turned to Gold. "What's his obsession?" She couldn't hold back her huge smile.

Gold had to laugh. "He's obsessed with my assistant, Mary Margaret."

Belle burst out laughing. "Really? So he's involved in an office romance?" That eliminated one of her father's prospects.

"Oh, it's more than a romance… it's true love."

She couldn't tell if he was saying it sincerely or sarcastically. She looked at him. "Do you believe in true love, Mr. Gold?"

He hesitated for a moment before answering. "Yes, I believe there is such a thing, but it's quite elusive. Only a very few ever find it."

She felt a tingle run down her spine. "I agree. I think David and Mary Margaret are very lucky if they've really found it."

"I'm surprised to hear you believe in such a thing, Gold. Haven't you learned your lesson?" Moe didn't want him filling Belle's head with fantastical ideas. She already had enough excuses to reject every man he'd every introduced her to. If she thought she had to find some type of fairy tale "true love" she'd never be happy.

Belle looked at Gold with a question in her eyes. What did her father mean about learning his lesson? Gold didn't make eye contact with her. Instead, he gave Moe a pointed look. "I'd like to think such a thing exists even though it may not be in the cards for the likes of me. I'm sure you'd like to see Belle find that kind of happiness with someone." He gave Belle a wan smile that made her heart hurt for him. She wanted to give him a hug, but settled for squeezing his arm. She needed to know more about him.

"Of course, of course." Moe wanted to end the conversation. "But back to what we were talking about. I saved the best for last… Gaston… he's the son I never had… a big, strapping handsome fellow… an all-around good guy… dedicated, determined, loyal… I can't praise him enough."

Belle looked at Gold and saw a rather naughty-looking smirk playing at his lips. She couldn't suppress her giggle. "Anything to add to that, Mr. Gold?"

Moe gave him a warning look so he bent down and whispered in Belle's ear. "He's obsessed with himself." Belle burst out laughing.

"OK, what's so funny?" Moe did not look amused.

"I told her that he's obsessed with himself." Gold looked challengingly back at him.

Moe appeared angry for a moment and then let out a loud guffaw. "I suppose he is. But when you're that remarkable how can you help it? You'll see Belle. I think you're going to be blown away when you meet him."

Belle smiled at Gold. "I'm sure you're right, Dad. I think I'm going to like everyone." She turned to her father. "What about the women in your office? Are you going to tell me about them?"

"Oh, you'll see for yourself, Belle. I'm sure they'll tell you all about themselves."

Gold chuckled. That was Moe… as subtle as a sledge hammer.

By this time they had arrived at the dining room and found themselves in the middle of a large crowd of people waiting to enter two sets of doors. "I guess we're here." Belle commented.

They gradually made their way into the room and were escorted to a special seating area that had been reserved for them due to the size of their party and their status as suite guests. They were the first ones there from their group. Gold helped Belle to the best seat at the table, one with a view out the window. "Would you mind if I sit next to you?" Gold didn't want to impose himself on her.

"Of course not. I was hoping we'd sit together."

"You don't have to sit next to Mr. Gold, Belle. Why don't you wait until the rest of the group arrives? I think you'd enjoy having Gaston as your dinner companion."

"Oh, I'm fine, Dad. I rather enjoy Mr. Gold's company. He and I seem to have a lot in common." She rested her hand on Gold's arm and he caught his breath. He felt something every time she touched him. Something that he really had no business feeling.

"Whatever you want, Belle." Moe wasn't about to give up. He'd make sure Gaston was seated as close to her as possible.

Moe saw the rest of the gang arriving and made himself busy directing them to their table. Belle took the opportunity to speak to Gold. "I really do enjoy your company, Mr. Gold. I hope we get to know each other much better during this trip." She blushed slightly and Gold felt that urge to kiss her.

"I'd like nothing better, Belle." He put his hand over hers and she felt that tingle again. "Let's start now. I think you should call me Rum. Mr. Gold is much too formal."

"OK, Rum. I like your name. It's sexy like your hair and smile…" She blushed a little. "…like you…."

He felt heat rushing through his body. This was getting to be more than a flirtation. He felt something for her that he couldn't explain. Something had clicked when he met her. He wanted to get to know her much better and she seemed to want it too.

"Have I rendered you speechless again?" Belle smiled shyly at him.

He smiled back. "Yes… I'm afraid so."

Everyone arrived at the table and a myriad of introductions were made. Belle met all of her potential suitors and she also met Ruby, Emma and Mary Margaret. Ruby was the only one besides Moe who had brought a guest, her friend, Dr. Archie Hopper. He was introduced and everyone found a seat at the table. Ruby ended up on the other side of Belle. Moe and Gaston found seats across from her and Gold. Emma sat next to Gold.

"I've never seen you so casual, Gold." Emma was ever observant when it came to his business.

"Well I didn't have much choice, did I? The itinerary called for casual dress."

Emma chuckled. "As though you've ever adhered to any "rules" before."

He looked at her. "What's on your mind, Emma? I know you're on a fishing expedition here."

Emma laughed. "We know each other so well." She gestured to Belle. "So Moe's daughter seems nice."

Gold knew exactly where this was heading. "Yes, she's lovely." He looked at her conspiratorially. "Between you and me, Moe hopes she'll connect with one of the men from our office before the end of the cruise. He's determined to play matchmaker whether she likes it or not."

Emma stared directly into his eyes. "He might want to be careful what he wishes for."

"Exactly." He held her gaze and left it at that.

Everyone began looking at the menu to determine what to order for their 5 course meal. Gold and Belle compared notes. She was stumped by a couple of the offerings and he explained them to her. They were laughing and leaning very close to one another as they looked over their choices.

"What are you ordering, Belle?" Moe's voice reminded Gold that they weren't alone. He glanced up to see Moe looking at him.

Belle rattled off her selections to her father and he used the opportunity to try to engage Belle and Gaston in conversation. It was short-lived and Gold was secretly pleased.

Belle turned back to Gold and continued to engage in entertaining conversation with him. He was sure that Moe was not happy, but he really didn't care at this point. He was enjoying Belle's company too much.

The waiter arrived and proceeded to circle the table to record each of their selections. Gold was the last one to order and Moe's laughter caught his attention just as he was finishing.

"You should have seen him. I've never seen anyone so terrified of flying. Talk about white-knuckling it…"

Gold felt sick to his stomach. Moe was talking about him and it wasn't something he could laugh about. He was terrified of flying, something related to a childhood trauma, and he couldn't make light of it.

Everyone was laughing. Moe continued. "At one point I thought that maybe I should hold his hand to make him feel better, but I thought better of it." He guffawed and everyone laughed again.

Belle sensed Gold's discomfort and put her hand over his.

He looked up to see Dr. Hopper watching him. His eyes were filled with understanding and sympathy. Gold prayed that someone would change the subject.

Dr. Hopper came to the rescue. "Did anyone else have a cricket made of towels on their bed? My cabin steward said he made it and that he'd be making a new towel animal for me every day."

This was the perfect diversion. Everyone started talking at once. Gold gave Hopper a grateful look.

"Let's take turns going around the table. I want to hear what kind of animal everyone had." Ruby was trying to bring some kind of order to the chaos. "I'll start… I had a wolf. It was so adorable. Here. I took a picture." She passed around her phone.

"I had a Swan." Graham was looking at Ruby's phone. "Maybe I'll get a wolf the next time." Belle looked at Gold and he smiled and shrugged his shoulders.

"I also had a swan!" Mary Margaret chimed in. She shared the photo she had taken.

"So did I. I thought it might have something to do with my name." Emma said dryly and everyone laughed and agreed.

"Mine was a horse." David offered and Gaston and Moe said they had the same.

"What about you, Jefferson?" Ruby asked.

He tugged at the straw hat on his head. "I'd say it was a cross between a rabbit and a hare."

"Oh! A bunny! How cute!" Ruby wasn't about to give Jefferson a chance to go off on some long-winded tangent.

"Mr. Gold?" She turned to him.

"A crocodile, Miss Lucas."

"So did I!" Belle added. "It was the cutest thing I've ever seen. Take a look." She passed her phone around and everyone oohed and aahed.

Belle turned to Gold. "That was fun. I wonder how they decide which animals to make."

"I don't know, but some of it was interesting. Emma **Swan** had a swan, Dr. **Hopper **had a cricket, Ruby **Lucas** had a wolf…"

"Why do you think we had crocodiles?" She was curious as to what he'd say.

"Well, there are those who have dealings with me who would have no problem comparing me to one." He smiled mischievously at her and she felt a thrill run down her spine. She almost felt as though he was a crocodile and that he wanted to eat her. And she wouldn't mind at all.

She decided that she was going to ask if she could keep hers. She'd been charmed by it from the beginning, and now for some inexplicable reason, she didn't want to part with it.

Moe's laughter caught their attention again. "And he was the only one on the flight wearing a suit. We were flying into 90 degree weather to go on a cruise and he was wearing a suit. The rest of us were in shorts and t-shirts." Everyone laughed. This time even Gold found it funny.

Belle giggled. "And he was still all buttoned up and sweating when I met him. I had to tell him it was OK to be casual." Everyone laughed again. She grinned at him and he wanted to pull her onto his lap and tickle her until she begged for forgiveness and they ended up making mad passionate love to one another. He shocked himself by what he was thinking.

"You think you're funny, don't you?" He whispered in her ear. "I may make you pay later." He gave her one of his sexiest grins and she felt the heat coursing through her veins. She wished he'd make good on his threat.

Ruby interrupted them. She wanted to speak to Belle about the rest of the evening.

Moe took the opportunity to engage Gold in conversation. He wanted to go over a couple of business matters that evening. Gold suspected that it was his way of making sure that Belle didn't spend any more time with him.

When dinner ended Moe shook everyone's hand and told them to have a good day tomorrow. It was going to be a day at sea and everyone would be relaxing or engaging in fun activities. He also let them know that their party would be dining with the Captain and some of the officers that evening. Everyone was excited to hear it.

Belle got Gold alone. "I guess I'm being whisked off to an evening of drinking and dancing. Ruby won't take no for an answer." She looked wistfully at him.

"Have fun. I'll be discussing business with your father." He already felt lonely thinking about it.

"I guess I'll see you tomorrow?" Belle looked hopeful.

Moe came over and put his arm around Gold's shoulder. "Come on, old man. Let's go get a drink and discuss business. The young people want to have some fun away from us old-timers."

He turned to Belle. "You go have fun, sweetheart. I'll make sure Mr. Gold finds his way back to the room."

Belle and Gold gave each other a quick parting look.

"Good night, Dad. Good night, Rum."

"Good night, Belle. Have fun." Gold gave her a smile he didn't feel. He was sure that once she got to know everyone she'd no longer find his company appealing. He was used to it though. Nobody ever wanted to spend time with him.

Ruby grabbed Belle's hand and pulled her away. She looked back once and then disappeared.

"Rum? Belle calls you Rum?" Moe looked puzzled.

"It is my name, Moe. She's not one of my employees."

Moe guffawed and slapped him on the back. "Of course not. I guess I'm not used to seeing you in a social situation. Now let's go get that drink."

Gold had several scotches that evening. He found that he needed them to keep from thinking about Belle and what she may be up to. They finally returned to the suite and Gold stripped and crawled into bed. He was tired and drunk and more than a little depressed.

He slept fitfully until a steady knocking seemed to seep into his dreams. It finally awakened him. The moonlight was shining through the sliding glass door leading to the balcony and he thought he saw Belle there. The knocking continued. "Rum!"

He sat up. It was her. He started to get up and realized that he was totally naked. He pulled the sheet off the bed and wrapped it around his waist and walked over to open the door.

"Belle, are you OK?" He stepped out onto the deck with her. She pushed him back into the room.

"I just wanted to make sure you got back…" she paused "…and I wanted to make sure that we'd meet up tomorrow morning. I was hoping we could spend the day together." She could see his naked torso in the moonlight and thought he looked fit and trim.

"You want to spend the day with me? Don't you want to go off with Ruby and Graham and the others?" His heart was racing.

"No. I want to spend the day with you. I told you I enjoy your company and I meant it. Do you want to spend the day with me?" She moved closer to him and he backed up. She giggled.

He swallowed. "Of course I do. I'd love to spend the day with you." He looked at his bare wrist. "What time is it?"

"It's 1:30am. I need to get some sleep. What time do you want to meet?"

"I had a lot to drink tonight so I may sleep later than usual. I'll order breakfast for 8:30am. Do you want me to order for you?"

"Yes, I'll join you." She moved closer and kissed him on the cheek. "Go back to sleep. I'll see you in the morning." She left and waved as she walked away.

He put his hand on his cheek. He felt light-headed and off-balance and he didn't think it had anything to do with the amount of alcohol he had consumed.


	3. Day 2: At Sea

Despite his overindulgence in alcohol the night before, Gold woke up at 5:00am, the same time he did every day. His body was programmed to rise at that time. He touched his cheek. Had Belle been there the night before or had it all been a dream? Had she awakened him in the middle of the night to ask him to spend the day with her? The more he thought about it, the more he thought it was a dream fueled by his own fantasies. But if it had happened, she had been alone in his room with him last night, and he had been naked save for the thin sheet that he had wrapped around his waist. And she had kissed him. He felt himself becoming aroused at the thought. Once again he was shocked where his mind was leading him when it came to her.

He felt surprisingly good considering how much he'd had to drink. Other than a dull headache, he felt relaxed and looking forward to the day. He put on the t-shirt the cruise line had provided and the same pants he had worn the night before. He wanted go out on the balcony…. A little fresh air would go a long way to clear his head.

He walked out to the railing. The air was refreshing at this early hour. He stood there for quite a while, mesmerized by the color of the distinctive blue water. It made him think of Belle's eyes.

"Good morning." Her voice wafted over him. "You're up early."

Gold looked up and smiled. "As are you. You didn't get much sleep."

"I know. I always wake up at the same time… Do you mind if I come down and join you?"

"Ummm… I haven't even showered yet. I just threw on the same clothes I had on last night." He hadn't expected anyone else to be up this early.

Belle giggled. "That's OK. No need to be formal on my behalf. I'm still in my nightgown. I'll throw on the same clothes I had on yesterday too if it makes you feel better."

"Don't go to any trouble on my behalf." He said it before thinking. He hoped she didn't think that he was suggesting that she come down wearing her nightclothes.

This time she laughed. "I'll be right down."

And once again, before he had time to worry too much about what he'd said, she was there beside him. She was wearing the same sundress as she had the day before. The only difference was that he was pretty sure she wasn't wearing a bra today. He had to force himself not to look at her breasts to confirm that fact.

"You're cute, you know." She put her hand on his arm.

Nobody had ever called him cute. It wasn't a word that anyone would associate with him, yet when she said it, he believed she meant it, and it made him feel good. It also made him want to kiss her. Instead, he stood there not saying or doing anything.

"Speechless again?" She was smiled widely at him.

"Yes, I'm afraid so." He grinned back at her. "You have a way of doing that to me."

They stood there grinning at each other.

"It's beautiful out here this morning." Belle leaned back and let the breeze flow through her hair.

Gold couldn't resist glancing at her breasts. He had been right. His body's response was immediate and intense. God, she was beautiful. "Yes, it's quite beautiful." He had to tear his eyes away from her.

He needed to do something to distract himself so he decided that it might be a good idea to order breakfast. "Since we're both up early should I call for room service?"

"That would be lovely, Rum. I think I'll go take a shower and change before it arrives. We can decide how to spend the day over breakfast."

"Good idea." Gold was happy that Belle had confirmed that his memory of the previous night had not been a dream. "I was thinking of ordering fruit and scones… something light. Is that OK with you?"

"Perfect. Oh, and tea for me instead of coffee, please." She turned to go. "I'll see you in a little while."

He watched her walk away and then busied himself ordering breakfast, showering, shaving and getting dressed. By the time breakfast had arrived he was ready to meet up with Belle again. And this time he was a little more presentable.

He directed the steward to bring the breakfast delivery cart out onto the balcony. There was a table with an umbrella and 4 chairs. Gold had ordered extra just in case Moe woke up and decided to join them. He was hoping they'd avoid that scenario.

"Good morning again." Belle appeared, looking fresh and lovely. She was wearing a yellow dress and sandals. Her hair was pulled back away from her face. He couldn't help noticing that she was now wearing a bra.

Gold held out a chair for her in the shadiest spot. Her skin was porcelain white. He couldn't imagine that she could tolerate too much sun. "You look beautiful, Belle." He smiled and sat down next to her.

He poured her tea and then they both helped themselves to fruit and scones.

"So did you have fun last night?" Gold could no longer refrain from asking. He still couldn't understand why she'd choose to spend the day with him instead of with the rest of the group.

"Yes. It was fun and everyone's very nice." She paused. "But I'm not much of a drinker or partier." Then she put her hand over his. "I would have preferred strolling along the deck with you."

Moe's booming voice made them jump. "So you two are up already? Belle? I thought you'd sleep in after a late night out. And what about you Gold? You're looking pretty good for someone who downed one too many scotches last night." He laughed heartily and joined them at the table. "So what's for breakfast?" He surveyed the offerings. "I can see I'm going to have to order my own food if I don't want to starve." He helped himself to a heaping plate of fruit and scones. "Any coffee?"

Gold reached down to the lower shelf on the cart to retrieve a pot of coffee. Belle smiled. He'd evidently thought about her father when he ordered their breakfast. "And I ordered some eggs, ham and bacon." He placed them on the table.

"Good man! I knew I could count on you." He gave Gold an approving look and turned to Belle. "So what's the story, sweetheart? Did you have a good time last night? Did you get a chance to dance with Gaston?"

"Yes, I had a good time. I danced with Gaston and Jefferson and Graham and even once with David. I even danced with some other men who are on the cruise." She glanced at Gold.

Gold could feel his jaw tightening. He knew it was crazy, but he actually felt jealous at the thought of her dancing with these other men.

"Excellent!" Moe was beaming. "What do you and the other young people have planned for today? I'm heading off to a power walk on the promenade deck. Have to do something to counteract all the food I'll be eating." He guffawed as he devoured two strips of bacon.

Belle giggled. "You might want to pace yourself, Dad. It looks like we'll be eating a lot of food every day."

"Don't I know it! Gold, what about you? I hope you're going to do something more than attend to business all day. There are all types of activities going on. Belle, make sure he sees the list. I have to get going. My walk starts in 5 minutes." He gulped down the rest of his coffee and rose to leave. "I'll see you later. Enjoy your day!" With that he hurried off.

Belle smiled at Gold and put her hand back on his. "You heard my father. He wants me to make sure you see the list of activities available today. "

He smiled back. He had to admit to himself that he was utterly charmed by this young woman.

"Well, we wouldn't want to disappoint your father, would we?" Gold gave her a mischievous grin that once again sent shivers down her spine.

"No, not at all. Though I have to tell you that what I had in mind isn't on this list." She now gave him a mischievous grin and he swallowed hard. He hoped she wasn't reading his mind. "Do you like art, Rum?" She looked hopefully at him.

Gold grinned. "I'm an art and antiques collector, my dear. You should see my house."

Belle's heart fluttered again. "Then I think you'll like what I was planning."

Gold chuckled. He was sure he'd like it even if it wasn't part of his crazy fantasy.

"I'm not sure how much you know about this ship, but it's filled with original artworks. There are paintings and sculptures and decorative pieces lining the corridors and located in all of the public areas and lobbies." She paused.

"Yes, I noticed some of the works on the corridor walls yesterday. I was planning to take a better look at them today." Rum was now very interested in what she was saying.

"Well, our suite came with an IPad that will give us all the background info to take our own tour. It's like being on a floating museum… what do you think?"

"I couldn't have come up with a better option, Belle. I'm totally onboard with your idea." He grinned and she groaned and then giggled.

"I'm glad to hear it. I guess the theme of the artwork on this ship is fairy tales and fantasy. I think it will be a lot of fun." She smiled happily at him and he felt that urge to kiss her again.

"Then we're agreed." He smiled a smile at her that made her weak in the knees.

"I'm going to take a couple of aspirin before we go." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a packet with two white tablets in it.

"Do you have a headache?" Belle seemed genuinely concerned.

"Just a dull throbbing that I can't seem to shake. I thought the fresh air or eating breakfast would help. I'm grateful that it's not worse considering how much I drank last night."

Belle put her hand on his arm. "I know a massage technique that works wonders for headaches. I used to be prone to tension headaches when I was in college and one of my friends showed me how to relieve them. I know it's hard to believe, but it's worked for me. I can try it on you if you'd like."

Gold swallowed. His mind betrayed him as soon as she said the word "massage."

"It's just a few simple massages to the cheeks and temples and neck." She looked expectantly at him.

"That's very nice of you, Belle. I guess it's worth a try."

"Great!" She flashed him a warm smile and got up to stand behind him. "You stay seated and just relax. I'm going to start with your cheeks and then move up to your forehead and temples and down to your jaw." She reached from behind and began to gently apply pressure to his cheekbones with her fingers. She did as she said and moved her hands over his face, gently massaging his forehead and then rubbing his temples with little circular motions. She then cupped his chin with her hands and used her thumbs to caress his jaw. Gold moaned contentedly as the feeling of her hands on him seemed to alleviate all tension from his body.

Now I'm going to massage your neck and ears. She moved her hands behind him and began to apply pressure to the base of his neck with her fingers and thumbs. A tingling sensation started traveling through his body. She leaned close to him and he could feel her hot breath on his ear. "How does that feel, Rum?"

"Mmmmm… that's incredible, Belle." His voice was husky.

"I'm glad." He could almost feel her lips against him. His body had begun to betray him and he was now painfully aware of the fact that he was becoming aroused. He put his hand on his lap hoping that it wasn't noticeable. He would be mortified if she became aware of it.

She slowly eased her hands up the side of his neck and to his earlobes. She took them between her forefingers and thumbs and rubbed them ever so gently. "Does this feel good?" She was leaning close to him again and this time her lips brushed against his ear. "Yes…" His brain could barely formulate a response. His body had no such problem.

Belle now let go of his earlobes and began to massage his scalp from his forehead to the nape of his neck. "Your hair is so soft and silky, Rum." She kept massaging his scalp and running her fingers through his hair. He couldn't suppress another moan. His arousal was completely apparent and she'd see it if she looked down.

"Belle." His voice was a rasp. He wanted to tell her to stop, but it felt too good.

"How does your head feel?"

"Good…. So much better, Belle."

"Perfect." She put her hands on his shoulders. "There's one more pressure point that I'm going to massage." She knelt down in front of him and began to massage the outside of his knees with her thumbs. He moved both hands over his lap to hide his arousal from her. Her position kneeling in front of him wasn't making things better. He'd never been so embarrassed in his life.

If she noticed, she didn't say or do anything to acknowledge it. Instead, she finished her massage and then got up and ran her fingers through his hair again. "How do you feel? Is your headache gone?"

"Yes. Thank you, Belle." He smiled weakly at her, still uncomfortably aware of his aroused state. He wasn't going to be able to get up for a while.

"I'm going to brush my teeth and finish getting ready. Should we meet in 15 minutes?" She ran her fingers through his hair one last time.

"That sounds good. We'll meet in 15 minutes." He waited until she was in her room and then got up and went into his. There was no denying how taken he was with her. There was also no denying how inappropriately he had reacted to a couple of simple touches. He really needed to get himself under control. Unfortunately it looked like that was going to be much easier said than done.

Gold brushed his teeth and thought about a conversation he'd had with Moe the night before to force his body back to an unaroused state. He had to admit that he felt an intense physical attraction to her. But he was also attracted to everything else about her too… she was sweet and caring and affectionate and intelligent and funny… and she laughed at his jokes… she seemed to get him. He felt a connection to her.

Belle was waiting for him when he re-entered the main living area. "All set, Rum?"

"Yes, all set." He offered his arm to her and she linked hers in his.

"I have the IPad. I think it will be best to start on our deck and work our way down. The ship is huge so we'll only be able to get through some of it today. I thought we'd wander around for a while this morning and then maybe we could go on a tour of the galley this afternoon. I'd love to see how they prepare meals for such a large group of people. What do you think?"

Rum chuckled. "I think you have it all figured out. I defer to you. I'm more than happy to let you take the lead." He caught her eye and held it as he said it.

"Thanks, Rum." She squeezed his arm. "So let's get started." She directed him to the right as they left their suite and they began their tour.

It took them a couple of hours to get through their deck. They were completely engrossed in discussing each work of art while sharing little tidbits of personal information in between. Gold learned that Belle had a bachelor's degree in art history and a master's degree in library science. Belle was surprised to learn that Gold had a history and a law degree.

"So when did you start collecting art and antiques?" Belle was intrigued by Gold's interest in art.

"I started when I was a child. I always had an interest in unusual items. I discovered a book of fantastical illustrations in my aunt's attic when I was 6 years old. That began it and I've been collecting ever since… I'm really enjoying this, Belle, and I have you to thank."

Belle seemed pleased. "I'm so glad. I'm having a great time. I don't think too many other people would feel the same."

They both laughed. They were pretty sure that they were not the typical cruise ship tourist.

" Do you want to get a drink and find a shady spot on the deck to sit for a while? It will be nice to get some air." Belle thought it might be a good idea to take a short break.

Gold was happy to agree. They made their way down to the next deck and ordered iced teas. They then easily found empty lounge chairs on the side of the ship that was away from the sun. They sat and drank their tea and talked and rested for a while.

When it was time to get up Belle rose first and then offered her hand to Gold to help him up. He gratefully accepted. It was a lot easier to use his cane as a balance in one hand while she helped him up with the other. She linked her arm in his again and they almost bumped into Emma and Graham as they turned to continue their tour.

They all exchanged greetings. Emma had an obvious smirk on her face as she caught Gold's eye and looked pointedly from him to Belle. He reciprocated by looking pointedly from her to Graham.

"What are you two up to?" The smirk was still on Emma's face.

"Rum and I are viewing the artworks on the ship. We were just taking a break." Belle smiled sweetly. "What about you? Where are you heading?"

"Graham and I are investigating the safety features on the ship. We're actually getting a private tour this afternoon."

"How commendable, Miss Swan. Always thinking ahead." Gold now had a smirk on his face.

"Where's everyone else? I thought you'd all be together." Belle was surprised that they had separated.

"Ruby, Dr. Hopper, Gaston, Jefferson and your dad were meeting to go rock climbing and to play some type of simulated golf on the sports deck. I think your father was expecting to see you there." Emma watched to see Belle's reaction.

Belle sighed. "That's my dad. He really doesn't have a clue about what interests me… What about Mary Margaret and David?"

Emma now laughed outright and Graham couldn't hide the grin from his face. "Mary Margaret has him attending classes on napkin-folding, dining etiquette and flower arranging."

Gold chuckled and whispered in Belle's ear. "I told you it was true love."

Belle giggled. "I think that's sweet. David seems like such a nice guy and he really adores Mary Margaret."

"Yes, indeed." Gold added drily.

"Well I guess we'll see you tonight then. We're going to do a little more touring before we have lunch." Belle initiated their parting and Emma looked again from her to Gold.

They parted ways. Gold looked at Belle. "Have I told you that I think you're rather amazing?"

Belle blushed. "I don't know where that came from, but thank you." She felt that little tingle rush through her.

They resumed their tour until Belle thought it was a good time to break for lunch. They decided to eat at one of the specialty restaurants on the ship instead of at the buffet or in the dining room. Both of them agreed that a hamburger and fries with an iced tea would be the perfect lunch. The restaurant was an old-fashioned diner with juke boxes at each table. When the hamburgers came Gold was ecstatic to see that he had pickles on his plate.

"You're very easy to please, aren't you?" Belle found his excitement over the pickles amusing.

"Well, I can't seem to get them at the diner back home."

"That's odd." Belle looked puzzled.

"It's a long story." Gold happily devoured his pickles and Belle secretly laughed to herself.

When lunch was over Belle directed them to the ship's galley where the tour she had spoken of earlier was to take place. There was a small but decent group of people gathered there, including Mary Margaret and David.

"Mr. Gold! Belle!" Mary Margaret seemed genuinely happy to see them. "I'm surprised to see you here." The question in her eyes made it evident that she wasn't so much surprised to see them there as to see them there together.

"Rum agreed to come here with me. I'm dying to find out how they make all these meals for so many people."

"Same with me." Mary Margaret agreed.

Gold addressed David with a smirk on his face. "How was the napkin-folding?"

Before he could answer, Mary Margaret chimed in. "It was a lot of fun. We learned how to make a fan and a sail and a bird of paradise."

"How fascinating." Gold was still smirking at David. Belle giggled and dug her fingers into his arm.

"I may attend one of those sessions on our next day at sea." Belle smiled at Mary Margaret.

David now addressed Gold with a smirk on his face. "Maybe Belle will ask you to join her if you're lucky, Mr. Gold."

Belle giggled and Gold chuckled. For some reason when she laughed at his expense, it made him want to kiss every inch of her body until she begged him to make love to her. He really had to stop thinking this way.

Fortunately the galley tour began and Gold focused his attention on that and on ribbing David. Mary Margaret and Belle seemed to hit it off and Gold was surprised by how easily David seemed to take his ribbing and to give it back to him in return. He liked that about him. He hated how everyone always seemed to be walking on eggshells around him. Maybe this cruise had been a good idea in more ways than one.

When the tour was over they parted ways. Mary Margaret wanted to see a cooking demonstration and they only had five minutes to travel halfway across the ship. Gold was happy that he and Belle didn't have anything they had to rush off to. They decided to wander around a bit exploring the ship and enjoying each other's company. They eventually made their way back to the suite. They needed time to rest a little and then get ready for the Captain's reception and dinner at the Captain's Table.

Gold was nervous when they returned to the room. He felt as though they'd been on a date and he didn't know what to do to end it.

"Belle." He took her hand and brought it to his lips. "Thank you for spending the day with me. I truly enjoyed your company."

Belle smiled. "I had a lot of fun, Rum. You're very entertaining and funny and sweet..." She stood on her toes and kissed him on the cheek again. "And sexy… very sexy."

He gulped and she giggled. It amused her how uncomfortable he seemed whenever she said it. But she had to say it because she wanted him to know how she felt.

"The Captain's reception is at 6:45pm so we should meet at 6:30pm. I'll let Dad know… I can't wait to see how handsome you look in your tux." She raked her fingers through his hair.

"Oh, and by the way… when I ran my fingers through your hair and massaged your scalp this morning…. well, that wasn't part of the headache massage… I just did that because I couldn't resist."

She turned and left him standing there… speechless once again.


	4. Day 2: The Captain's Dinner

Gold looked at himself in the mirror and touched his cheek. Belle had kissed him again. She'd kissed him last night in his room and now she'd kissed him after their day together. And she'd called him sexy… very sexy. She said she'd run her fingers through his hair because she wanted to… it hadn't been part of the headache massage. And it had aroused him to a point of embarrassment. He wasn't sure what to think. He just knew that he couldn't wait to be in her presence again. This young woman seemed to have cast a spell over him and he was happy to be completely under her control.

Belle was smiling to herself. Rum was so adorable. The way he reacted when she called him sexy… his uncertainty about her attraction to him… she just wanted to hug him. And she wanted him to put his arms around her. Her heart began to race at the thought of it. She was attracted to him in a way that was unfamiliar to her. She wanted to be with him… she wanted to know everything about him… she couldn't really explain it, but she felt as though they belonged together. It was a feeling that surprised her, but that she didn't want to shake.

Gold straightened his bow tie one last time. He was as ready as he was going to be. It was a formal evening so he felt completely in his element. He didn't need to second guess himself about what to wear or how to act. He walked out to the main living area a few minutes before they were due to meet.

"There you are, old man." Moe was there to greet him. "Looking good. This sea air seems to agree with you." He slapped him on the back. "So what were you up to all day? I hope you got out and about."

Gold was about to respond when they heard Belle emerge from her room. They both looked up to see the most beautiful sight either had ever seen. Belle was dressed in a blue gown that had what Gold would describe as an ethereal quality to it. Her hair was up on one side and her lipstick and makeup highlighted her already gorgeous features. Gold was already taken with her natural beauty, but the makeup made her stunning.

For the first time in Gold's recollection, Moe was almost speechless for a moment. "Look at her Gold. Have you ever seen anyone as beautiful as my daughter?"

Gold had already locked eyes with Belle. "No, never. She's breathtakingly beautiful." He approached the steps and extended his hand to her. She kept her eyes locked with his as he drew her hand to his lips and kissed it. They smiled at each other. "You look so handsome, Rum."

Moe cleared his throat and they both seemed to realize that they weren't alone. "I'm afraid Gold and I are a sorry excuse as your escorts tonight, Belle. Your beauty needs to be matched with someone young and handsome. And I have a few young men who fit that bill." Moe laughed at his own cleverness and Belle squeezed Gold's hand.

"I'll have to respectfully disagree, Dad. I think I'm paired with the two most handsome men on this ship." She smiled briefly at her father and then once again locked eyes with Gold. He could feel his heart beating.

"Shall we?" She hooked her arm in her father's and continued to hold Gold's hand. She liked the feeling of his hand in hers. They linked their fingers together and Belle felt a shiver run up her spine. Gold felt the same sensation.

"So what were you two kids up to today?" Moe laughed. "Did you help Gold find something to do, Belle?"

Belle tightened her grip on Gold. "Yes, I did."

"Excellent!" Moe cut her off. "What about you? I was disappointed that you weren't with Ruby. I thought I'd see you up on the sports deck. Gaston and Jefferson were there. You would have had a great time."

"I actually had the perfect day." She squeezed Gold's hand again and his heart beat faster.

"Well, you'll make up for it tonight. By the way, rumor has it that the ship's captain is a real heartthrob. The women on the ship are swooning over him. And you, Belle, will be one of the lucky ones having dinner with him." Moe chuckled. He'd get Belle to show an interest in one of these men by the end of the trip.

They were suddenly stopped in their tracks by a long line of people. They were taking photos of each couple or family with the captain on the way into the reception.

"I think you should take a photo of just you and the captain, Belle. No need to have me and Gold in there breaking the camera." He guffawed.

Gold had to agree.

"Absolutely not. I want both of you in the photo with me." Belle was adamant. "You know how I hate taking photos. If I have to do it, then you do too."

Moe laughed. "Can you believe her, Gold? She's gorgeous and she hates to have her photo taken. I'll never understand it." Moe put his arm around his daughter's shoulders. "OK, sweetheart. We'll do whatever you want."

"Thank you." Belle was relieved. She really hated being the center of attention.

The line moved faster than expected and before they knew it they were meeting the captain. The rumors had been right. He was extremely good-looking… he was also extremely flirtatious. There was something about him that rubbed Gold the wrong way.

"Well hello, Love. Aren't you a looker? Captain Killian Jones at your service." He took Belle's hand and brought it to his lips. Gold felt himself bristling. The captain now noticed Moe and Gold. "Let me guess. One of these gentlemen must be your father." Moe grabbed his hand and shook it enthusiastically. "I'm the father, Captain. Can't you tell by the good looks?" He laughed at his own joke. "Moe French. That's my daughter, Belle, and this here other old man is my business partner, Rumford Gold. We're eating with you at your table tonight."

"I'm happy to hear it." He looked Belle up and down as he said it. She ignored him and moved closer to Gold.

They took their photo and then entered the reception area. Everyone was dressed to kill and looked beautiful. Waiters were working the room with trays of champagne and hors d'oeuvres. There was also a bars set up for other drinks. "Would you like a glass of champagne, Belle, or can I get you something else?" Gold's good manners immediately kicked in.

"Just a soda, Rum. I think I told you I'm not much of a drinker. I get dizzy very easily. I'd rather have wine with dinner. I can't have both."

Gold chuckled. "So you weren't drunk last night when you came to my room?"

"No. I think I might have kissed you on your lips instead of your cheek if I had been." She looked him directly in the eye and blushed slightly at her admission.

Gold froze again momentarily (god she had a way of throwing him off balance) and then a grin started playing at his lips. "Well then," he cleared his throat, "are you sure I can't tempt you with some champagne?"

Belle giggled as another tingle ran down her spine. "I'll have to pass." And then she ran her fingers through his hair. "But it doesn't mean I'm not tempted."

Gold's eyes focused on her lips and it took everything in his power not to lean forward to kiss her. His whole body wanted him to do it.

"OK, old man, let's give Belle a break from us." Moe walked over with Ruby in tow. "She needs to catch up with some of the young folk. We've monopolized her time long enough." Moe put his arm around Gold's shoulders and dragged him away. Belle gave him a sad smile and then bit her lower lip. Maybe it was just as well that Moe was pulling him away from her. He needed to regain control of his thoughts.

Ruby was happy to finally get Belle's ear again. "We missed you today. I hope you didn't spend the day alone."

"Thanks, Ruby. I actually had a great day." Her eyes wandered over to lock with Gold's who was looking in her direction.

Ruby followed her look. "You spent the day with Mr. Gold?" She sounded shocked.

"Yes. Rum… I mean Mr. Gold and I have a lot in common."

Ruby looked stunned and then she smiled a huge toothy grin. "Well, I'm happy to hear that the man can have some fun. He's not exactly the most approachable person. I never know if he's being serious or sarcastic when he talks to me."

Belle giggled when she thought about Rum's humor and his rather formal demeanor. She also thought about how nervous he seemed to get when she was flirting with him. It gave her goosebumps just thinking about it.

"He does have a unique sense of humor…" Belle laughed and then she whispered in Ruby's ear "…plus I think he's extremely attractive."

Ruby let out a squeal. "No! This keeps getting better and better." She was gleeful at the thought of this new piece of office gossip. Talk about juicy. Nobody would be expecting it. "Have you heard the stories about him?"

Belle looked puzzled. "I don't think so."

"You know he's divorced and has a son?"

"Well, I just assumed he was divorced from some casual conversation between him and my dad. I didn't know about the son." Belle didn't want to pry into his business behind his back. "I'm sure he'll tell me about it once he gets to know me better."

"Listen…" Ruby put her hand on Belle's arm. "I don't want to spread gossip, but it doesn't hurt to have a little backup info before you get too involved. Word is that his wife left him for a younger man and abandoned her son in the process. Mr. Gold raised him alone."

Belle's heart broke for Rum when she heard it. "How sad for him and his son."

"Yes. Supposedly he didn't have an involvement with another woman until about 5 years ago when he met a local attorney named Cora Mills. They had some mad, passionate, completely physical relationship that ended when he developed feelings for her. She didn't want the baggage of any emotional attachments."

Belle's heart broke again. "How terrible for him. It must be hard for him to form any attachments after going through something like that." She looked over at Rum and just wanted to give him a hug. No wonder he seemed so uncertain about her interest in him.

"The thing is that none of us can picture this mad passionate love affair. He's always so controlled." Ruby felt the need to add to the gossip.

"I guess that old saying is true… you can't judge a book by its cover." Belle felt uncomfortable discussing Rum's former love life. She felt as though she were prying into something that wasn't her business. She hoped that he'd share some of this with her when he thought it made sense to do so. And then her mind went in another direction… a mad, passionate love affair… she had sensed that there was unbridled passion buried beneath that cool controlled surface… what she'd give to have it directed toward her.

She bit her bottom lip and looked up to see Rum staring at her. She blushed slightly as though he could read her thoughts. She felt an urgent need to have physical contact with him.

As if in response, Rum walked over to join them. "Miss Lucas." He nodded at Ruby.

"Mr. Gold." Ruby responded in kind and then gave Belle a wink. "I'll leave the two of you alone."

She walked off and Gold looked questioningly at Belle. "What was that about?"

Belle blushed. "I think she's figured out how much I like you."

"Really?" Gold's heart leapt a little when she said it.

"Yes, really." She linked her arm in his. "And I wanted to remind you that you promised to spend the day with me. That includes this evening."

He grinned. "If you insist." As if there was anything he'd rather do.

She leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek again. "Yes, I insist… and I promise you won't be disappointed." She gave him a rather naughty look.

"You two look awfully cozy." Mary Margaret was smiling as she and David walked up to greet them.

David moved close to Gold and uttered under his breath. "I see napkin-folding in your future."

Gold gave him a dirty look and David just laughed in return.

Belle smiled. "We were just discussing this evening. I think it's so exciting that we're going to be sitting at the Captain's Table. Did you get a chance to meet him?"

"Yes. I was surprised by how young and handsome he is. He looks like a movie star." Mary Margaret gushed.

David's face took on a sour expression. "He's handsome, I'll give him that, but I didn't care for all his flirting."

Gold chuckled. He didn't care for this captain either.

"I suppose he's handsome in that movie star type of way, but it barely registered with me. I'm more attracted to someone whose face says something about him. I like unique features. I find that much sexier." Belle voiced her opinion and Gold felt as though all eyes were on him.

Thankfully the dinner bell rang alerting everyone that it was time to proceed to the dining room.

David took the moment to get in his final word to Gold. "It's sooo happening." He laughed again and grabbed Mary Margaret by the waist. "Time to go."

"What's happening?" Belle looked quizzically at Gold.

He groaned. "Nothing. Mr. Nolan thinks he's a comedian."

She pursed her lips and gave him a look which he ignored. Instead he gave her his arm and then placed his hand over hers. "It's an inside joke between me and Mr. Nolan."

She smiled to herself. He really was cute… so cute.

They made their way to the main dining room and were escorted to a large table in the middle of the room. The table seated 13 people. The maitre d' informed them that the captain would be sitting at the head of the table and the staff captain would be seated at the other end. There were six places set on one side and five on the other. It was suggested that they alternate the seating male/female and that their most talkative or most important guests be seated next to the captain. Moe immediately offered to sit on one side of him and insisted that Belle sit next to him. "Gold, why don't you sit on the other side of the captain? He'll want to be seated next to someone important and you may be the best we can do." Moe laughed uncontrollably.

"I beg to differ. I think he'd prefer someone pretty. I don't think I'm his type." Gold said sarcastically.

Moe first looked taken aback and then guffawed. "Well if you put it that way, I'll have to agree. We'll give him plenty of pretty. Belle's right next to me and we'll have Emma sit next to you. She can handle both of you."

Gold chuckled. He was looking forward to Emma's interaction with the captain. She was the last person to put up with flirtatious innuendos. He would have preferred sitting next to Belle, but at least he'd be able to look across at her. That consoled him briefly until he realized that Gaston was sitting next to her. He didn't know why, but he felt a twinge of jealousy.

The captain arrived and everyone was re-introduced. Amazingly, he seemed to have remembered the names of every woman at the table… he called all of them "Love." He had no recollection of any of the men's names.

"He's a real charmer, isn't he?" Emma whispered to Gold.

Gold smirked. "He certainly thinks so."

The meal proceeded with the wine flowing and the usual five courses. Gold was surprised that the captain, when he could be distracted from his flirtations, was actually quite interesting and knowledgeable. It was pretty impressive that he was in his position at such a young age. He regaled them with some fascinating stories and even invited them to a private tour of the bridge on their next day at sea.

When the captain wasn't talking, Moe kept the conversation flowing. Gold noted that Belle attempted to have conversation with Gaston that seemed to fall flat. Why did that make him so happy? Almost as happy as the constant smiles she gave him when they made eye contact.

"Has Moe figured out that his daughter's interested in you?" Emma's question irked and pleased Gold at the same time.

"What makes you think she's interested in me?" Gold tried to sound incredulous.

"Gold." Emma used her no nonsense tone. "She's been looking at you and smiling at you during this whole meal. Plus, in case you've forgotten, I saw the two of you together today. You know as well as I do that she's interested… and vice versa." She stared straight into his eyes.

"Things are not always as they appear, Miss Swan. You, more than anyone, should know that." He hedged her question.

"And sometimes they're exactly what they appear to be." She gave him a knowing smile and he laughed.

"I think the captain is trying to get your attention, Miss Swan. I just heard him call your name, Love." He turned away from her and looked across at Belle. She gave him a huge smile and he returned it.

The meal finally ended. The captain departed and they all began to rise from the table. Belle rushed over to Gold. "Did you have anything special in mind for tonight?"

"Just spending time with you." He took her hand.

"I was hoping to see the ice show that they're putting on. It's going to be based on 'Beauty & the Beast'. What do you think?"

"I'd love to accompany you, Belle. I've been wondering how they can ice skate and execute difficult moves and jumps while the ship is in motion. It has to be pretty difficult."

"Great! We should start over there so that we can get a seat."

Moe tried to get everyone's attention. "Some of us are heading over to the casino. Everyone's welcome to join us." He looked at Belle.

"Sorry, Dad. I've had my heart set on the ice show. Rum's coming with me." Gold felt his heart skip a beat when she said it. He wasn't sure how Moe would react.

"We're going too." Mary Margaret announced.

Moe seemed pleased. "Wonderful! Glad to see that everyone's getting to know each other." He addressed Gold. "I would have never pegged you for one to go for something like that, Gold. It's amazing what we're finding out about each other on this trip."

Gold felt as though he'd dodged a bullet. He wasn't trying to hide what was happening from Moe, but he wasn't anxious for him to find out that he was forging a relationship with his daughter. He didn't expect him to be happy about it.

They all parted ways. Gold, Belle, Mary Margaret and David set off to the ice show together. David kept grinning inanely at Gold. "What's the problem, Nolan? Spit it out." Gold was getting annoyed.

"There's no problem, Mr. Gold. It's just that I never pegged you as the ice show type." David echoed Moe's words.

"For your information, Mr. Nolan, I'm quite interested in seeing this show. I've been curious to see how they can perform on a moving ship."

"And you'll be spending more time with Belle." David hoped he wasn't pushing him too far.

Gold tried to give him a withering look but ending up chuckling. "And I'll be spending more time with Belle."

They arrived at the show and found good seats. The show began and they all fell under its spell. It was something none of them had ever expected to witness at sea and they were very impressed. Belle and Mary Margaret couldn't say enough about it and David and Gold had to agree.

"Where are you two heading now?" Mary Margaret asked.

Belle looked at Rum. "We were going to wander around a bit before heading back to the suite."

"Well have a good night. We'll see you tomorrow."

They parted ways and Belle turned to Gold. "Alone at last." She took his hand. "Did you want to come for a walk with me on the upper deck? It's beautiful out tonight and the sky is clear. We'll be able to see all the stars." She'd always wanted to do this. To her it was one of the most romantic things she could imagine.

Gold brought her hand to his lips. "I'd like nothing more, Belle. I'm just happy to be spending time with you."

She smiled at him. "Good. I've wanted to do this forever." She held his hand and led him to the upper deck. There were several couples strolling along the deck or standing at the railing and looking out to sea. Belle and Gold had their fingers entwined as they walked slowly along.

Belle shivered a little. "Are you cold, Belle? The air seems to cool quickly at night."

"I'm OK. I just got a little chill."

Gold stopped walking and removed his jacket. "Put this over your shoulders. It will make you feel warmer." He draped it over her.

"Thanks, Rum." It gave her a tingly feeling to have his jacket on her.

He then put his arm around her waist and pulled her closer to him as they continued their walk. A wave of electricity passed through her. He was holding her close and it thrilled her.

They walked for a while engaged in easy conversation with one another. Belle could sense Gold slowing down a bit and thought his leg might be bothering him. "Do you mind if we sit on one of the lounge chairs for a while? We can lie back and look at the stars."

"I'd like that."

They found a chair off in a quiet spot. They managed to squeeze into the same chair with Belle lying partially on Gold. He put his arm back around her as she cuddled next to him. She put one arm over his chest and he covered her with his jacket.

Gold felt the most unexpected sense of peacefulness as she lay against him. He caressed her cheek and kissed her on the top of her head. He couldn't get close enough to her. His body had already begun to respond to her and if she changed her position she'd become aware of it. He continued to gently caress her cheek. She sighed contentedly.

"Rum?"

"What is it, Belle?"

"Let's face one another." She switched her position and he followed suit so that they were lying face to face. She put her hand on his shoulder and he pulled her against him.

They looked in each other's eyes. "Kiss me, Rum."

He leaned forward and pressed his lips gently against hers. They kissed slowly and tenderly with no tongues, just lips caressing lips. Belle moaned and Gold felt himself getting harder. She pressed closer to him. Gold broke the kiss and looked into her eyes. "You're so beautiful, Belle."

"Mmmmm…" She leaned in to kiss him again. A radiating warmth had spread throughout her body and a throbbing heat had settled between her legs.

It was obvious to both of them that there was intense physical attraction between them. Gold felt an urge to make love to her, but he felt a stronger urge just to hold her close and feel her heart beating against him. There was something about this sweet simple kiss that he was sharing with Belle that was arousing him in ways that he felt certain he'd never been aroused before and he wanted to savor every minute of it.

"Rum." Belle pulled back and smiled at him.

"What is it, sweetheart?"

"I haven't felt this happy in a long time." She traced his lips with her finger and he felt himself get harder than he already was. He began to question just how long he was going to be able to hold back with her.

"Me neither." He could hear a huskiness in his voice.

They lay silent for a few minutes, each thinking their own thoughts.

Gold spoke first. "I suppose we should get back to the room. It's getting late and I think we can both use some rest. Neither one of us got much sleep last night."

Belle agreed. She helped him up off the lounge chair and they headed back to the room, his arm once again around her waist. He was thankful for the long walk on the darkened deck. He needed it while his body got back to at least a semi-normal state. He wasn't sure if it would ever be in a normal state again while he was in her presence.

"The ship will be docking in Cozumel tomorrow, Rum. Did you sign up for any shore excursions? I'm on an 8:00am tour to see the Mayan ruins at Tulum."

Gold grinned and pulled her closer. "I'm signed up for the same tour. Guess we'll be spending the day together again."

Belle's smile lit up her whole face. "I was hoping that we would, but I wasn't sure if you had made any plans."

"Do you know what the others are doing?" Gold was hoping they'd be alone.

"I think Dad is going snorkeling and on a boat tour with some of the others. He wasn't too happy when he saw the excursions I chose. He thought I'd be alone for all of them. He wanted me to switch them around but I had my heart set on seeing certain sights. I'm sure he'll be happy to know that I'll have company."

Gold supposed that Moe would feel better knowing that Belle wouldn't be alone. He wasn't sure that he'd be happy that she'd be with him.

"Do you want to have breakfast with me tomorrow? We can order in or go to the early buffet." Gold liked the idea of starting the day together again.

"Yes." Belle was pleased. "Let's go to the buffet since we both seem to be early risers. I'd like to try it."

Gold agreed and they made a plan to meet in the morning. They arrived at the suite and entered the main area. Gold felt less unsure of himself than he had that afternoon. He caressed Belle's cheek. "I had the perfect evening, Belle – thanks to you."

He leaned forward and gave her one last lingering kiss. Belle responded by running her fingers through his hair. He couldn't suppress a moan.

She smiled. "I thought you might like that."

He smiled wickedly at her. "Just for the record… the part of the headache massage that wasn't a part of the massage… you know, the part where you couldn't keep your hands off me?"

"Yes? What about it?" Belle asked innocently.

"I liked that part the best." He gave her a look that sent a wave of heat coursing through her body.

She giggled. "I know… I couldn't help noticing." And with that she turned and headed to her room. "I'll see you in the morning."

Gold just stood there staring after her. He couldn't have responded even if he'd wanted to.


	5. Day 3: Mayan Ruins

Gold woke up even earlier than usual. He felt a smile on his lips. He could only surmise that he had dreamt about Belle. He'd gone to bed thinking about her and she was his first thought upon awakening. His heart began to beat faster. He couldn't explain what was happening to him. He had no problem understanding his physical attraction to her, but his need to just be with her was something he'd never experienced before.

He could no longer doubt how she felt about him. She'd made her desires pretty clear. He was the one who kept doubting himself. But even if she had only wanted a platonic relationship, he would have accepted it and been happy to spend time with her. He felt connected to her in a way that had nothing to do with the physical.

Gold lingered in bed for a while longer, thinking about Belle. His thoughts did nothing to alleviate the physical need she had aroused in him, so he decided to get up and get ready. Maybe doing something besides thinking would help him deal with his situation. Or maybe he'd just have to take care of it some other way.

Gold showered, got dressed and then went out onto the balcony to enjoy the morning air. He knew that Belle would be up shortly and they'd be off to spend the day together.

"Good morning." She stepped out onto the balcony and greeted him.

"Good morning, Belle." He flashed a smile that had an immediate and intense effect on her.

She walked over to him and he took her hands in his. They smiled at each other. Belle removed her right hand from his and ran it through his hair. Then she pulled his head toward her and kissed him on the lips. His body's response shocked him considering that he'd just taken care of the pressing need that she aroused in him. He supposed that it would have been much worse if he hadn't.

He put his arm around her and pulled her closer, deepening the kiss. When they finally pulled apart, Belle's cheeks were flushed and Gold's eyes were dark. They stared intently at each other for a few seconds and then Gold broke the spell they seemed to be under. "Good morning indeed."

Belle giggled. She loved his humor and his reactions. She smiled at how happy she felt. "I suppose we should head to breakfast if we don't want to be late for the tour."

Gold agreed and she took his hand.

The walk to the buffet took a while, but they didn't seem to notice. They never seemed to be at a loss for words with one another.

They arrived just as it was opening and joined the short line that had already formed. They made their way through and selected the items they wanted. This time they took extra food since they didn't know when they'd be eating again. They found a seat out on the deck and then Belle offered to go back and get juice and tea for them. Gold gladly accepted since it wasn't as easy for him with the cane.

They talked about the tour and their day. Then Gold said something that he felt he needed to say. "Belle." He took her hand. "I think you know how I feel about you." He hesitated. "I just want you to know that I'm not looking to have a fling with you. That's not me and I don't think it's you. Whatever we have between us… it's not something I'm taking lightly." His heart was pounding as he said it. He felt exposed and rather helpless.

"Oh, Rum." Belle squeezed his hand. She knew it must have been difficult for him to say this considering how nervous he was about their 'attraction'. "Thank you. I can tell you're not that type... and neither am I." She smiled shyly at him. And then she leaned close to him and whispered in his ear. "But I might have been tempted to go that route if it was all you wanted… I can't seem to resist you." She grinned at him and it made him think things that he needed to suppress immediately.

He found himself almost speechless again, but forced his way out of it. "Maybe you shouldn't have told me that, Belle. Now I have the upper hand." He gave her an evil look.

She laughed at him. "We'll see about that."

He laughed in return. Who was he kidding? She had him eating out of her hand and he was doing so willingly and happily.

They were both in a great mood as they made their way back to the room. Gold had his arm around Belle and they were smiling and laughing as they entered the suite.

"So there you are." Moe looked up from his coffee to greet them.

Gold removed his arm from around Belle's shoulders.

"You two look mighty cozy." He had a puzzled look on his face.

"Rum and I had breakfast together at the buffet. We're scheduled for the same tour today." Belle stated matter-of-factly.

Moe's puzzled expression faded slightly. He looked from Belle to Gold. "It seems you two have a lot in common. I never would have guessed it." His expression lightened further. "So you're on the same tour?" His lips curled into a huge grin. "Thank god. I would have been worried sick about Gold all day if I thought he was off somewhere alone." He once again laughed uncontrollably at his own joke. "You make sure you look after him, Belle."

She giggled and Gold grimaced. Then he laughed. "Oh, I'll watch out for him." She gave Gold a look that he prayed Moe did not see. "I won't let him out of my sight…." She turned to Gold. "I'm going to go finish getting ready. Let's meet in 20 minutes."

Gold agreed and they both headed toward their rooms. Before Gold could enter his, Moe stopped him. "Can I speak to you for a minute, old man?"

Gold's heart stopped. This was it. He was sure Moe was going to confront him about Belle. He put his arm around Gold's shoulders. "Listen. Between you and me, I want you to keep an eye on Belle. I'm glad she's not going off alone. I'm worried about her. She's too independent for my liking."

"I wouldn't worry about her, Moe. Your daughter's a very wise young woman who seems to know exactly what she wants. She's perfectly capable of taking care of herself."

Moe looked at him thoughtfully, something Gold wasn't used to seeing. "I suppose you're right. It's just that I'll feel better knowing that someone's looking out for her."

"I'll be with her the whole time, Moe. I'm not planning to let her out of my sight." Gold wanted to get things out in the open. "Belle and I like spending time together… we're planning to spend a lot of time together this week."

A strange expression flashed across Moe's face and then disappeared. "Good man. I knew I could count on you. Now I just wish I could understand why Belle seems to like you so much. I thought she was going to connect with one of the young men from our office, but instead she's been out and about with you. I just don't get it."

Gold realized that he really didn't get it, but he wasn't about to clarify further. He took his leave from Moe and returned to his room to finish getting ready. He would feel better when Moe understood the exact nature of his relationship with Belle. It was right in front of his eyes, but he was either denying it or just incapable of imagining that Belle could be interested in him. He decided that it was the latter.

When he was ready, he went back out into the common area to wait for Belle. She was already there sitting at the table with her father. She jumped up when she saw him. She gathered up a large brightly colored bag and then kissed her father on the cheek. "We'll see you later. Have fun snorkeling."

She walked over to Gold and linked her arm in his and kissed him on the cheek. Moe stared at them. "Don't worry about me, Dad. I assure you that I'm in very good hands."

Gold silently groaned. He wished she'd phrased that differently.

Moe continued to stare at them and then finally responded. "Have a good time. I'll see you tonight."

When they got out into the corridor, Gold stopped Belle. "Did your father say anything to you about us?"

Belle flushed slightly. "He commented about how much time we seem to be spending together... I told him that I liked you… a lot. And that I was planning to spend as much time with you as I could." She looked at him shyly. "You're not upset, are you?"

Gold let out a deep breath. "I basically told him the same thing, but I don't think he quite understood what I was saying." He paused. "Do you think he understood you?"

"I don't know. Dad's hard to read sometimes. I love him dearly, but he often doesn't seem to hear what I'm saying. He thinks he knows what's best for me so he interprets things so that they fit his vision." She ran her fingers through his hair. "But we can't worry about it. I know what I want and that's all that matters here…" She kissed him on the lips.

"What is it you want, Belle?" Gold needed to hear her say it.

"You, Rum. I want you." She kissed him again in a way that made it impossible for him to doubt it.

He grinned foolishly at her. "And I want you to have whatever you want."

She giggled. "Then we're in agreement. Now let's get going." Belle led them to the tenders and they boarded to make their way to Cozumel. Once there, they hooked up with their tour to take the ferry ride to the mainland. The boat ride over was a little bumpy, but it didn't bother either of them. They disembarked, boarded their bus and found a seat toward the back.

Once they were settled, Gold grinned at her. "May I ask what you have in that bag?" He was curious to know what she was toting around with her. He'd offered to carry it, but she'd preferred having his free arm wrapped around her, something he couldn't object to.

She laughed. "I have sunscreen, a hat, a blouse that I can use to cover my arms, water bottles for me and you, a small towel and practical shoes."

"I see you're much more well-prepared than I am. I forgot about sunscreen."

"No problem. I was planning to share with you. I think we should put some on now before the tour starts. Let me help you put some on your face. It's hard to do without a mirror." Gold agreed and Belle applied some lotion to her hand and then began to massage it into his face, starting with his forehead and working down to his cheeks and nose and chin. He couldn't help thinking about the headache massage and how much he liked being touched by her.

"Mmmmm…. That felt good." He gave her a naughty grin and she felt her body react.

"My turn now. You can't be the only one to have all the fun." She squeezed some into his hand and raised her face to him. She wasn't wearing any makeup and once again he was awed by her natural beauty.

Gold slowly and sensually applied the sunscreen to her face. "Did that feel good?" He whispered in her ear.

"Yes." She murmured. It had felt a little too good.

"Glad to hear it. I'd be happy to apply more wherever you'd like." His tone of voice and his hot breath against her ear sent a tingle through her body that settled between her legs. She liked this side of him.

"I may take you up on your offer. I'll need someone to help me apply it all over my body if I decide to sunbathe or go swimming."

Gold felt himself responding. She had a way of always getting him. He couldn't get the thought of running his hands all over her body out of his head. It was a good thing that the ride out to Tulum was going to be a long one. He leaned in closer to her and whispered. "You really don't play fair."

She giggled. "I know. But you don't mind, do you?" She caressed his cheek.

"No, not at all."

The tour guide now interrupted them (none too soon as far as Gold was concerned) and explained how the tour would work. He then began a fascinating talk about the Mayan culture that continued until they reached Tulum. At that point they exited the bus and began a short walk out to the site. Belle opened the umbrella that she'd brought with her. It was her best defense against the beating sun and she insisted that Gold borrow her straw hat to cover his head. He was none too anxious to do so, but eventually gave in. Belle took a photo of him alone and then got another tour member to take a photo of the two of them together.

"Do not, under penalty of death, share these photos with David Nolan." Gold could just imagine the ribbing he'd suffer if Nolan got wind of him wearing Belle's hat.

Belle agreed and Gold happily settled back in step with her.

When they arrived at the site, everyone was awed by its breathtaking beauty. The ruins were sitting on a cliff overlooking the Caribbean and the views were spectacular. That in itself would have been worth the trip. But there was much more to come. Their tour guide gave them an entertaining and informative explanation of the history of the ruins and of each of the structures. They were then allotted two hours to explore on their own. Belle and Gold were both in awe of the site and set out to explore a couple of the structures in more detail. They spent an hour and a half exploring and then found a spot where they could sit and look out at the beautiful scene before them. By then, Gold's leg was aching and he needed to rest.

Belle handed him a bottle of water. "This is very romantic, don't you think?"

"Yes." He put his arm around her and kissed her cheek. They sat there silently and companionably for a few minutes.

Gold spoke first. He wanted to share some things about himself with Belle that he felt she needed to know and this seemed like the perfect time to do it. "I don't know how much you've heard about me from your father or even from some of the others on the trip with us." He looked at her with a question in his eyes.

Belle blushed thinking about the gossip Ruby had shared with her and what her father had told her that morning. She felt as though she'd been hiding something from him."I've heard a little."

"I'm sure you know I'm divorced."

"Yes."

"And that I have a son?"

"Yes, my father told me that you have a son my age."

Gold wasn't surprised that Moe had shared that with her. "His name's Neal. He lives in New York."

She nodded.

"Does it bother you that he's your age?

"No, Rum. Not at all. Do you think it would bother him if he found out about us?" She felt nervous asking.

"I don't think so. Neal's mother left me when he was 10 years old and pretty much abandoned him at the same time. He was quite traumatized and we had a tough time of it. He's happy now and I know he just wants me to be happy too."

Belle put her hand over his. "I'm sorry you had such a tough time, Rum. It must have been very difficult for both you and Neal."

"Yes. I wasn't very good at being his only parent and I made many mistakes. I'm just relieved that Neal, due to his own remarkable character, turned out so well. I can't take credit for doing much more than keeping him safe and fed and warm."

Belle felt his pain and hurt for him. "I doubt that's true, Rum. I'm sure you influenced him in many ways without even knowing it."

"You're very sweet, Belle. That's one of the many things I like so much about you." He smiled at her and she blushed at the compliment.

"And that you blush at compliments. It's very endearing." She blushed again and he grinned. For once he had her at the disadvantage. Usually she was the one who had him speechless.

"So what else have you heard?" He wanted her to hear things directly from him.

Belled felt uncomfortable saying. "Ruby may have told me a few things."

"Ruby?" Gold groaned. "That woman is the office and town gossip. She probably knows things about me that I don't even know myself."

Belle couldn't help giggling. "She does seem to know a lot."

"What did she tell you, Belle? At least give me a chance to tell my side of the story."

Belle took a deep breath. "She said that your wife left you for a younger man."

"Is that the gossip?" Gold looked annoyed. "I was 36 and Milah was 34. She ran off with a 30 year old man. I don't think age was the issue."

Belle looked at him expectantly.

Gold continued. "She left because she was bored with me and our life. I've always been a bit of a hermit and Milah wanted fun and excitement. We were very different people. Unfortunately, poor Neal suffered because of it."

"I'm sorry, Rum." She took his hand and kissed it.

"So what else?" Gold was determined to get through this.

Belle looked very uncomfortable. "She said that you didn't have another relationship until five years ago."

Gold groaned before she could finish. "Cora?"

"Yes."

"What did she have to say about that?"

Belle blushed. "That you had a very passionate physical relationship with her and that she ended it when you developed feelings for her. She didn't want any emotional attachments."

Gold looked stunned. "I don't know how Ruby finds out these things. I suppose Cora wasn't shy about sharing our business with others." He looked sheepishly at Belle. "I hope you don't think less of me because of this. I told you this morning that I wasn't the type to have a fling."

"And you're not. You couldn't help forming an attachment, Rum. You couldn't have a relationship that was just about the physical." She stroked his cheek.

"Thank you for understanding, Belle." He took her hand and kissed it. "It's embarrassing to think that my personal life has been the topic of office gossip. I can't imagine what Miss Lucas will have to say when she finds out about us."

It was now Belle's turn to look sheepish. "She may already know."

"Don't tell me David Nolan said something to her."

"No, it wasn't David. I told her we spent the day together yesterday and then I told her that I thought you were extremely attractive… she figured it out from there."

"You told her you thought I was extremely attractive?" Gold seemed to have forgotten about the office gossip.

"Yes. I felt the need to share that with someone." She smiled at him.

Gold pulled her closer. "And I feel a sudden need to spread sunscreen all over your body."

Belle felt a surge of pure sexual desire rushing through her. Gold felt the same. She ran her fingers through his hair again and he kissed her (but not the way he wanted to). This was not the time or place.

He slowly pulled back from her. They looked into each other's eyes. Both were dark and filled with desire.

"I suppose we need to get back to the bus." Gold looked at his watch.

"Yes, unless you want to be stranded here alone with me." Belle looked at him hopefully.

Gold laughed. "I'd be more than tempted if I didn't have your father to answer to."

Belle giggled. "He wouldn't be too pleased."

Belle got up and helped Gold to his feet. They walked slowly back to the bus enjoying the last views of the beautiful scenery. They both felt relaxed and happy.

As they approached the bus, a cruise ship photographer took their photo.

"What was that about?" Gold questioned Belle.

"They take photos on different tours and on the ship and then sell them back to you as mementos of your trip. You can buy them in the photo shop. They put them on display so that you can find yours and purchase them. That's why they took our photo on the way into the Captain's reception and as we got on and off the ship."

Gold gave her an accusatory look. "So a photo of me wearing your hat is going to be on display somewhere on the ship?"

Belle wanted to laugh but tried to stifle it. "Yes." She said meekly.

"And I have to find it and purchase it if I want to make sure David Nolan doesn't get wind of it?"

"Yes." Belle could no longer control her laughter. "It won't be up until later or tomorrow. We can look for it together and buy it or destroy it before your secret gets out."

"You think this is funny?" He couldn't hide his smirk.

"Yes. Besides, I think you look adorable in that hat."

Gold chuckled. She was the cutest little thing and she always made him laugh.

They got on the bus for the hour ride back to town. Belle held his hand the whole time. He sat there with a silly grin on his face.

When they arrived in Carmen del Playa they were told that they'd have an hour to shop before they needed to board the ferry.

Belle turned to Gold. "Do you have a tropical print shirt that you can wear to dinner tonight?"

Gold gave her an 'are you serious?' look. "I think you already know the answer to that question."

Belle found him so amusing. "I didn't think so… tonight's dinner has a tropical theme and they want us all to wear tropical print clothing." Belle bit her lip to suppress her laughter. "I can help you find a shirt to wear in one of the shops here."

Gold groaned but didn't argue. "Lead the way. Let's get this over with."

Belle smiled to herself. She really wanted Rum to have fun. They wandered around for a short while until Belle found the perfect shop. She picked out a shirt with pink and orange flowers on it. Gold was none too pleased. She also picked out a sundress for herself with smaller flowers on it. Gold insisted on purchasing the dress for her. It was the least he could do to thank her for helping him fit in on this cruise.

They were exhausted by the time they got back to the suite and Gold's leg was obviously bothering him. Moe was not back yet and they had an hour before they needed to get ready for dinner.

"Are you OK, Rum?" Belle was concerned about him.

"I'm fine. My leg's acting up a bit. Nothing that can't be fixed if I keep off it for a little while."

Belle bit her lower lip. "I know a massage technique that might help."

Gold couldn't hide his interest, nor could he tear his eyes away from her lips. He swallowed. "Hmmmm, considering how well the headache massage worked, I might be convinced to give it a try."

Belle smiled seductively at him. "I thought you might be interested."

Gold laughed. "Am I that transparent?"

She giggled. "Yes… but all kidding aside, I think this massage will help. Promise to take it seriously."

"Yes, Belle. I'll be good." He hoped he'd be able to keep his word. His reaction to the last massage had been pretty intense and embarrassing.

"Good. You'll need to lie down. I think your bed will be the best spot for this." She looked directly at him.

He swallowed. She wasn't going to make this easy for him. "As you wish." He opened the door to his room and let her in. He immediately felt uncomfortable. He couldn't keep himself from thinking inappropriate thoughts.

"Umm… do you have a pair of shorts you can put on? I can't do this if you're wearing pants."

Gold looked sheepish. "I'm afraid not. I don't wear shorts."

"Do you wear boxer shorts?" Belle blushed.

"Yes." He gulped at the thought of where this was heading.

"Then that will have to do. It's no different than if you were wearing a bathing suit. You don't mind, do you?" Belle was determined.

"No, I guess not." He stood there frozen again.

Belle couldn't help giggling. "You can take your pants off, Rum, and lie on the bed. I promise this is going to make you feel good."

He didn't doubt it for a moment. He was afraid it was going to make him feel too good. He removed his pants and lay back on the bed. He was thankful that he was only slightly aroused at the moment. His leg was aching and that seemed to be his one saving grace.

Belle carefully applied pressure to his ankle and calf and then behind his knee. Her touch was firm but gentle and the pain in his leg began disappear at her touch. "That's amazing, Belle. My leg is already starting to feel better. Where'd you learn how to do this?"

"It's another technique I learned from that same college friend. It works on a lot of different muscle groups." She was pleased that it was helping him.

Belle continued the massage. Gold relaxed and was thankful that his body was cooperating.

"How's your leg? Any more pain?" She asked after ten minutes of careful attention to him.

"It's perfect. I can't believe that I feel this good." Gold was grinning at her.

Belle moved up to sit beside him on the bed. "I'm glad you feel better, Rum." She ran her fingers through his hair and then traced his lips with her fingers.

Gold's body reacted immediately. He was lying on the bed in his underwear and she was sitting beside him and touching him. "Belle."

She leaned forward to kiss him. This time the kiss was not just lips on lips. Her open mouth met his and their tongues caressed each other in a way that spoke volumes about their need to physically express what they were feeling. The kiss was long and deep. Belle entangled her fingers in his hair and Gold ran his hands down her back. Gold was now fully aroused and there was no hiding it in his current state of undress. And he didn't want to. This is what she did to him. It was as simple as that.

They broke the kiss and looked into each other's eyes. Gold moved a strand of hair from Belle's face. "You know I think we have something special between us, don't you?" Gold was still afraid of doing the wrong thing.

"Yes." Belle stroked his cheek. "I feel the same way. I wouldn't be sitting here on your bed with you if I didn't."

"I guess you can tell that I'm still nervous about us." He looked rather helpless and Belle just wanted to hug him.

"Don't be, Rum. I'm not." She bit her lip and then leaned forward. She traced his lips with her tongue. "Remember when I told you I wanted you this morning?" She whispered into his ear.

"Yes." He answered as though hypnotized.

"I meant that I wanted you in every way." She nibbled his earlobe and then planted kisses on his jaw and trailed them down to his throat.

Gold's arousal's increased and he was sure the head of his cock was peeking out of the flap in his boxers and there was nothing he could do to hide it. He moaned low in his throat and Belle felt waves of desire pass through her.

She looked up and met his gaze again and then kissed him once more on the lips.

"It's getting late. Dad will be back soon and we have to get ready for dinner." She began to rise from the bed. Gold covered himself with his hand.

"I had the perfect day, Rum…. I can't wait to see more of you tonight."

The way she said it made it impossible for him to doubt her meaning.


	6. Day 3: Tropical Night

Gold had been aroused almost beyond the point of no return for the second time that day. It was embarrassing. At his age he should have had better control over himself. But when it came to Belle, his body seemed to have a mind of its own. He found himself responding to her slightest touch. It was thrilling and disconcerting to him at the same time.

He looked at himself in the mirror as he buttoned up the shirt Belle had chosen for him. He almost didn't recognize himself. He looked younger and relaxed… he looked happy… and it was all thanks to her.

He finished getting ready and went out onto the balcony. The ship had departed from Cozumel an hour earlier and they were now again at sea. He heard Belle step out onto the balcony and he turned to greet her. His heart stopped. He knew she was strikingly beautiful. He'd known that all along. But tonight when he saw her, it was as if he were seeing her for the very first time. Her face was a vision, but her body had him riveted. It's not as though he hadn't already seen her in short dresses. It's just that tonight he couldn't tear his eyes away her extremely shapely bare legs. He followed them up to where they disappeared under the skirt of her dress, her very short dress. His mind could think of nothing but running his hands up the inside of her thighs and under her skirt.

He looked up to meet her eyes. He couldn't help looking a little guilty.

Belle moved close to him and whispered in his ear. "Do you like what you see?"

She really did not play fair. "Yes." He grinned sheepishly.

"It's OK, Rum. It excites me when you look at me like that." By now he had put his arm around her and she was running her fingers through his hair. He bent down to kiss her. What he would give to skip dinner and just drag her back into his room to continue where they left off earlier.

When they broke the kiss, Belle looked up at him with a mischievous grin on her face. "Do you like my dress?"

Why was she asking? He had made it pretty clear just how much he liked it… well, at least the length of it. He pulled back from her to take a better look. A dawning recognition flitted across his face. He looked down at his own shirt.

"Belle?" She was in big trouble now.

"Yes, Rum?" She was laughing.

He wanted to look stern, but couldn't help laughing himself. "This time you are going to pay, sweetheart."

Belle ran her fingers through his hair knowing that it would distract him. "I didn't realize that the shirt was exactly the same as my dress. I thought they were similar and that it would be cute to wear them together." She tried to stifle a giggle. "Now it's just cuter than I thought it would be."

Now Gold really wanted to drag her back into his room. "I'm glad you're so amused, Belle." He ran his finger across her jaw and down her throat. "Like I said, you are going to pay."

Belle felt that surge of desire pass through her again. "Willingly."

This was going to be a long night as far as Gold was concerned. He couldn't wait to get her alone again.

"Belle!" Moe's voice jolted them. Gold had his arms around Belle and she was pressed against him. They separated at the sound of his voice. "There you are."

Moe walked toward them.

"Dad, what happened to you? You got too much sun! Didn't you use sunscreen?" Belle ran over to him. "This doesn't look good."

"I'm fine, Belle. Just a little too much sun. I'll be fine by tomorrow." Moe was a bright red and Belle had reason to be concerned. "Don't worry about me. I've already been to the ship's doctor and he gave me a salve to use."

Belle looked slightly relieved. "OK. Just make sure you use it. You'd better stay out of the sun for a few days." Belle was like a little mother hen and Gold thought it was adorable.

"Enough about me." Moe tried to change the subject. "Did you two have a good day? Did you enjoy the ruins?"

"Yes, we had such a good time." Belle smiled at Gold as she said it and he smiled back.

Moe cleared his throat. "Very good. I'm glad we all had a good time today." He looked carefully at Gold and suddenly burst out laughing. "Good for you, old man. You're wearing a tropical shirt. I never thought I'd see the day. This cruise has really loosened you up."

"Yes." Gold answered drily. "And I see that you managed to find the perfect shirt to suit you." Gold couldn't help crinkling his nose at Moe's shirt which was covered with large blue, red, green, orange and yellow parrots and macaws. He was beginning to appreciate the subtle pattern on his shirt a lot more.

Belle giggled and mouthed "Be good" to him.

He gave her a rebellious look in reply.

Gold wasn't sure if it was due to too much sun or Moe's usual tendency to miss what was right in front of his nose, but he didn't notice that he and Belle were dressed alike. Gold didn't know if he was relieved or disappointed.

They made their way to the dining room to join the others for dinner. There were three seats available at the table when they arrived. Gold and Belle sat in between Jefferson and Dr. Hopper, while Moe sat across from them in between Ruby and David Nolan.

"Hi Belle… Mr. Gold. We were just talking about how much fun this tropical night is. It' so much fun to see what everyone's wearing." Ruby greeted them. Gold cringed, knowing full well where this was leading. "Oh my God!" She squealed and Belle squeezed his hand. "Do you two have on matching outfits?"

Gold groaned and Belle giggled.

"How adorable!" Ruby continued.

Everyone at the table stopped to stare at them. Gold felt like crawling under the table. Belle smiled. "Yes, we ended up matching. I helped Rum pick the shirt because I thought it was similar to my dress. I couldn't believe it when they ended up being exactly the same."

Gold could hear Nolan laughing one minute and then choking on his drink the next. Served him right as far as Gold was concerned. He looked up to see Moe staring at him. He didn't look in her direction, but he could feel the smirk on Emma's face. Belle put her hand on his thigh and then whispered in his ear. "I promise to make it up to you later."

Gold barely registered what she said. His whole body was tuned in to her hand.

Thankfully, Ruby was anxious to analyze everyone's choice of clothing so the attention turned away from them. The women were all wearing sundresses with flower patterns on them. The men were more of a mish-mash. Dr. Hopper's shirt was covered with dolphins, David Nolan's had every species of tropical fish known to man, Jefferson's had sombreros, Graham's shirt was black with a single palm tree embroidered on the pocket (the only shirt that Gold could actually stomach), and Gaston had on some atrocity that was an affront to Gold's eyeballs. It was banana yellow with a hideous-looking monkey's face on the front of it and wings on the back. Gaston pointed out that the shirt was the creation of 'Walsh Designs', as if that was a justification for its existence. Gold whispered to Belle. "I wouldn't be too anxious to have my name attached to that abomination, but this Walsh character found the perfect specimen to wear it."

Belle giggled and reminded him that she wanted him to be good. He chuckled in response. At least Emma seemed to agree with him. He couldn't help noticing the horrified look on her face when she saw the shirt. Maybe she had better taste than he'd ever given her credit for.

"Mr. Gold." David had unfortunately recovered from his coughing fit enough to seek his attention. Gold looked in his direction with a warning in his eyes. "Do you have an extra napkin over there? I seem to have misplaced mine." He proceeded to laugh at his own joke. Gold wanted to laugh himself, but refused to give David the satisfaction. Besides, Belle was stroking his thigh now and he was too distracted to respond to anything but her hand on him.

Mary Margaret addressed Gold and Belle. "You two are so cute. I searched for matching outfits for weeks but I couldn't find any. I can't believe you found them without even trying." That revelation seemed to subdue David's laughter a bit. Gold gloated.

Everyone's attention now turned to their menus. The waiter had arrived to get their drink orders and they needed to select their 5 courses. They all enjoyed looking at the menu and seeing the choices available. Gold always tried to order something unusual and Belle followed suit. She agreed with him that it was fun to try something different.

Dinner proceeded with everyone in great spirits. Most of the group had gone snorkeling and talked about the sea life they had encountered. They were all surprised to hear about Tulum and listened intently to Belle's description of the ruins. Gold could feel Moe's eyes on him the whole time. He was sure that he must now be aware of the nature of his relationship with Belle. He was dreading the inevitable confrontation about it.

When dinner was over everyone was in agreement that they would go see the magician/comedian who was performing that evening. Gold was the only one not too keen on seeing him. He didn't care for magicians. Their acts were always pretty cheesy in his opinion. Belle convinced him that it would be fun, especially since the magician was also a comedian. He was obviously not going to take himself too seriously. Naturally it didn't take much to convince Gold. The fact that Belle wanted to see the act was enough of an incentive for him.

They arrived at the theater and found a section with enough seats for all of them. Moe seemed to make it a point to sit right next to Gold. He whispered to Belle, who was sitting on his other side. "I have a feeling that your father is here to chaperone us tonight."

Belle looked over at her father who was sitting silently next to Gold. "He is awfully quiet. He seemed himself during the meal though."

She leaned over Gold and called to her father. "Dad, is everything OK? You seem quiet tonight."

Moe perked up at the sound of Belle's voice. "I'm fine, sweetheart. I think I'm tired from a full day of snorkeling and from over-exposure to the sun. Tomorrow's another day at sea so I'll be able to catch up on my rest then." He looked at Gold. "What about you, old man? You having trouble keeping up? Belle's a lot younger than you are. I bet she had you on your toes today."

Gold was positive that this was Moe's attempt to make a subtle dig about their age difference. He was in the process of formulating a reply when Belle spoke up. She pointedly took Gold's hand in hers. "Rum and I seem to be in perfect sync with one another. I've never enjoyed anyone's company as much as his."

Moe seemed surprised by Belle's answer. "OK, then. I'm glad you're having such a good time."

Gold swallowed hard. He wanted to kiss her very badly. He also wanted to disappear from Moe's piercing gaze.

Luckily for Gold, the magic show began and diverted Moe's attention away from him and to the stage. The 'magician' was more of a comedian than anything and he had everyone laughing pretty quickly. Moe seemed to gain his second wind as his big hearty laugh filled the auditorium. Evidently there was some advantage to being so vocal since Moe was picked to join two other audience members on the stage. Belle clapped enthusiastically with the rest of the audience and then rested her hand on Gold's thigh. He could only think about two things… how much he wanted to rest his hand on her bare thigh and how much he wanted this show to end so that they could be alone together.

Moe proved to be the perfect choice for the magician's act. His reactions had the audience in stitches and they gave him a standing ovation when the routine ended. He was filled with enthusiasm and energy by the time he returned to his seat.

When the show was over, he tried to gather everyone to join him in the casino again. He felt that this was his lucky night. He was in such a good mood that he didn't seem to mind when Belle and Gold declined. He wished them a good night and headed off to gamble with the others.

"Finally." Gold put his arm around Belle's waist. "I was starting to think your father wasn't going to let us out of his sight tonight."

Belle wavered. "I'm still not sure whether or not he knows about us."

"Really? I felt as though he was glaring at me all night. I think the matching outfits clued him in… speaking of which, we need to find that photo of me wearing your hat. There's no way I can let Nolan see that photo. He's already holding these matching outfits over my head."

Belle giggled. She had to admit that the matching outfits were a bit much for poor Rum. "OK. Let's go find the photo gallery to see if it's on display. I'm pretty sure it's on the deck below this one." They weaved their way through crowds of people to make their way to the elevator. They finally arrived on the lower deck and once again fought through the crowds to the photo gallery. There were countless photos on the walls.

"We have to search through all of these photos to find ours?" Gold was taken aback.

"It looks like it's arranged by day and event. Our photo should be at the other end." They made their way over to the other side of the room and started searching.

"Got it!" Belle pulled it off the wall and offered it to Gold. "We can purchase it or pass it through the shredder."

Gold's first instinct was to shred it, but when he looked at the photo and saw how adorable Belle looked, he thought better of it. He wanted to keep the photo for himself. "I'd like to keep it. Do you want a copy?"

"Yes, I love how you look in this photo, Rum."

He groaned. "As you wish. We'll purchase two copies." He felt relieved that they had retrieved the photo and that it was no longer on public display. He charged the photos to the suite and they made their way out of the shop.

"Where to now?" Gold deferred to Belle.

"You need to buy a bathing suit."

"What?" Gold was not expecting this.

"You're going to need one for something I have in mind for tomorrow and later this week. I'm sure we can find one in one of the onboard boutiques." There were a myriad of shops spread out before them and Belle found one specializing in men's clothing. It didn't take her long to help him find swim trunks that weren't too offensive. They were a dark gray with a lighter gray Mayan pattern on them.

Gold put his arm around Belle's waist and pulled her close to him. He whispered in her ear. "Just promise me one thing before I purchase these."

"Anything you want." She looked innocently at him.

"You do not own a bathing suit that matches this one." He nipped her earlobe as he whispered into her ear and a shiver ran up and down her spine.

She bit her lower lip and tried to suppress her grin. "I promise."

"Thank you. Now let's get out of here." He charged the bathing suit to the suite and arranged to have it, along with the photos, delivered to their room.

They finally found their way out of the shopping arcade to a less congested area of the ship. Belle took Gold by the hand and led him out to a quiet spot on the deck. She turned to face him and he put his arms around her and pulled her close. They kissed sweetly and tenderly.

"I've been waiting all night to do this." Gold stroked her cheek and looked into her eyes.

"Me too." Belle leaned in closer to him. "It's so beautiful tonight, Rum. Why don't we go back to the suite? We can enjoy looking out at the water and at the stars from my balcony. We'll have more privacy there."

Gold's heart skipped a beat. He'd wanted to be alone with her again since they'd parted that afternoon. "You wish is my command, my lady. I'm more than happy to comply."

Belle giggled. "I'm glad to hear it, my lord." She took his hand in hers. "Follow me."

He followed her back to the suite and up to her room. He still felt a little nervous being alone with her in her bedroom. His body had begun betraying him the minute they had kissed on the lower deck. He was now painfully aware of how far his arousal had grown. He felt relieved when they went out to the balcony.

"Let's lie down on the lounge chair like we did last night." Belle took his hand and urged him back onto the cushions of a chair that was located in a corner. The balcony was lit up by the moon and stars so they could see each other perfectly, but they still had a sense of complete privacy.

They lay down on the chair facing each other. Gold pulled her close and she pressed herself against him. There was no doubt that she could feel just how much his body wanted hers. He looked deeply into her eyes and moved in to kiss her. Their lips met first and then their mouths parted as they searched out each other's tongues. He did not feel at all hesitant tonight.

Last night Belle had been wearing a long gown that had covered most of her body. Tonight she was wearing a short dress that left much of her skin exposed. Gold could see her bare legs and he felt an uncontrollable urge to run his hand up her thigh. It took all of his willpower not to do it. He didn't want to rush things with Belle, but he didn't know how long he could resist. She seemed to want it as much as he did. She pressed further against him and he could not suppress the moan that escaped his lips.

He moved his hands down to cup her butt and pulled her in closer. She let out a whimper and he thought he might lose it.

She deepened the kiss and wrapped her right leg over his hip. Her whole leg was now exposed and her dress had risen up over her hips so that he could see her panties. He could no longer control his desire to touch her. He put his hand on her bare inner thigh and slowly ran it up her leg until he was just shy of her center. Belle whimpered and arched her back. Gold stroked her through the fabric of her panties. He was already completely aroused, but when he felt the wet fabric, his cock engorged further. She was as aroused as he was and that excited him beyond anything. Gold cupped her in his hand and she cried out and rubbed against him.

He broke their kiss and met her gaze. Her eyes were black with desire. She bent in to continue their kiss and he pulled her panties to the side so that he could touch her bare flesh. She let out a little cry as he began to caress her with his fingers. He gently teased her clit and she cried out and pushed back against him. She whimpered as he continued his gentle strokes and her need grew more urgent.

"Rum. Take them off." She helped him remove her panties and whimpered in his ear. His cock was throbbing.

"Ok, sweetheart. I hear you." He increased the pressure of his strokes, rubbing her clit in little circles as she opened her legs wider to him. He continued to cajole and rub her until she was arching against him and begging him for release. He wanted desperately to put his mouth on her to bring her over the edge. As though in response to his thoughts, her body began to shudder and she cried out as waves of release washed over her. Her body collapsed next to him. He pressed his hand over her mound as her body recovered from its arousal.

She whimpered and clung onto him. Gold's cock was begging for release. He pulled Belle closer to him and kissed her head. "Did that feel good, darling?"

"So good, Rum. Thank you." Belle felt the strangest sense that she belonged to this man and that he belonged to her. She felt perfectly comfortable having shared something so intimate with him.

She reached down and stroked his cock through the fabric of his pants. She wanted him to feel what she had felt.

"Belle." Gold desperately needed her to touch him, but he didn't want to push this too quickly.

Belle kissed him and then reached down to undo his belt. "Help me. I want to touch you, Rum."

He looked her in the eyes and she put her mouth back over his and used her tongue to let him know how she felt. He reached down and helped her remove his clothing. His cock sprang up between them and she wrapped her hand around it. Gold moaned. "Belle." She ran her hand up his shaft and teased the head with her thumb. He involuntarily thrust into her hand and she smiled. Just knowing that she was holding him in her hand excited him enough to make him come. He wasn't going to last long. Belle began to stroke him and he moaned. "I'm almost there already, darling. You excite me so much." She felt a thrill at his words. She began to stroke him faster. "That's so good, Belle. So good." He barely choked out the last words and his whole body jerked and his seed came pouring out of him, spurting onto her and him.

He lay back and she lay on top of him and kissed him. He pushed her hair out of her face and looked into her eyes. "Thank you, Belle." He paused. "I didn't intend for this to happen between us so quickly." He felt the need to apologize.

"Me neither, but I'm not sorry it did. It felt right… and it felt so incredibly good…" She grinned at him.

He grinned back. "There's no denying that… "He paused. "It's just that I'm still a little nervous that I might do the wrong thing. I don't want to do anything you don't want, Belle."

She stroked his cheek. "I promise you that's not going to happen." She kissed him tenderly and smiled at him. "You didn't seem at all nervous just now."

"That's because my brain wasn't interfering with what my body wanted." He grinned sheepishly and she giggled.

Gold now broached a topic that had been on his mind. "I told you a lot of personal things about myself today, Belle. I was wondering if there was anything else about yourself that you'd like to share with me."

"What would you like to know?" Belle looked at him expectantly.

"Just the usual… Any marriages? Divorces? Children? Love Affairs?" He knew the answers to all but the last. That's what he needed to know.

She pressed her finger to his lips. "No to the first three… but I think you knew that." She paused. "And just one long-term relationship when I was in college. It lasted two years. It ended when he proposed and I realized that he wasn't the man I was meant to marry."

"I'm sorry, Belle." He felt bad for any pain she had suffered, but he was happy that she hadn't married this young man. She wouldn't be with him right now if she had.

"It wasn't meant to be." Belle looked to be deep in thought.

"Was he the college friend who taught you the massage techniques?" Gold felt a twinge of jealousy pass through his veins at the thought of it.

Belle blushed. "Yes… but I never realized how much fun they could be until I met you." She gave him a seductive smile that made his pulse race.

"Rum." She kissed him on the lips.

"What is it, Belle?" He stroked her hair again.

"You make me happy." She gave him a huge smile.

He couldn't help smiling in return. "You make me happy too, Belle." The way he looked at her when he said it made her heart pound.

Yes, happy was one of the things she made him feel… and something more than that. Something so much more.


	7. Day 4: He Knows

"Good morning, Handsome." Belle came up behind Gold and wrapped her arms around his waist. He was amazed by the feeling of contentment that ran through his body at her touch. For the first time in his life he felt as though he had found something that he hadn't known was missing.

Gold clasped her hands in his. He then turned around to face her. "Good morning, sweetheart." He stroked her cheek and kissed her softly on the lips. "Did you sleep well?"

"Mmmm…" Belle was thinking about just how soundly she'd slept and she knew it was due to him. She felt happy and content. He made her feel that way.

They stood side by side on the balcony for a while enjoying the view and each other's company.

"This is so peaceful that I hate to even speak." Belle was the first to break their companionable silence.

Gold kissed her on the head. "What is it, Belle?"

"I'm starving."

Gold laughed. "Shall we try the dining room this morning? I'm sure we can wrangle a quiet table for two at this early hour."

Belle agreed. They decided to stroll along the promenade deck so that they could continue to enjoy the morning air. They were able to follow it halfway across the ship before they had to re-enter the ship to make their way to breakfast. The maitre'd seated them at a table for two by a window. There were only a handful of other couples up so early.

"So are we going to be healthy today or have we decided to throw caution to the wind and indulge our every desire?" Gold asked.

"I think we should indulge our every desire." The way she said it got Gold's attention. He was sure she wasn't just talking about breakfast. A day ago he would have been taken aback and rendered speechless. Today he was taken aback, but was actually able to reply. He was making progress.

He chuckled. "I'm not even going to try to respond to that."

She grinned at him. She was the cutest little thing and all he wanted to do was to pull her onto his lap and kiss her. Fortunately their waiter arrived before that could happen.

Gold ordered a strawberry waffle with extra whipped cream and Belle ordered the blueberry pancakes.

"So what do we have in mind for today, Belle?" Gold was sure that she already had something planned.

She giggled. That did not bode well to him. "Well, the captain is giving us a private tour of the bridge at 11:00am. That should be fun."

"Yes, I'm sure it will be." He looked at her expectantly.

"There is something I'd like to do before that." She looked guilty and he was sure he did not want to hear what she had to say.

He groaned. "Don't tell me you want to attend one of those napkin-folding classes."

She tried to stifle a giggle. "I do… but you don't have to come… even though I hate the idea of going alone."

He groaned again. Of course he was going with her.

"You can just come and watch. You don't have to fold napkins." She could no longer stifle her giggle.

Gold couldn't contain his own grin. She had him wrapped around her little finger and he didn't mind it… not one little bit. "OK, I'll come with you, but you cannot breathe a word of this to Nolan. I swear, Belle, you really are going to owe me after this."

She put her hand over his. "Thank you, Rum. I'll do anything you want." She bit her lower lip and Gold's control began to ebb. He'd been in a semi-aroused state since she first put her arms around him earlier and now he felt himself starting to lose control.

Their breakfast arrived just in time to rein his thoughts back in. They ate slowly, enjoying the view and the conversation.

It was fairly early when they got back to the suite. Moe was still asleep. "Do you want to pay up now?" Gold almost didn't recognize himself.

"I'd be more than happy to… what would you like me to do?" She asked innocently.

He took her by the hand and out onto the balcony. He sat down on a cushioned chair in front of his room and pulled her onto his lap. He wrapped his arms around her. It felt so good to be this close. He kissed the top of her head and then nuzzled her neck. His cock hardened considerably and he knew she could feel it. He couldn't get close enough to her. He held her tighter and kissed her on the neck.

Belle let out a little sound of contentment and he felt his arousal growing. She turned sideways so that she could put her legs over the side of the chair and wrap her arms around his neck. Her legs were completely exposed and he could see her panties again. He couldn't resist putting his hand on her thigh even though he knew that he was playing with fire. Moe could wake up and walk in on them at any moment. She leaned in to kiss him and their mutual hunger for one another took over. Gold caressed her through her panties and she arched her back and whimpered into his mouth. His cock wanted to burst out of his pants at her response.

"Rum."

"I know, sweetheart. Let me take the edge off for you." He teased her through the fabric and then pulled it aside so that he could put his fingers directly on her. She tried to stifle her cries as her need for release increased. He could think of nothing but wanting to put his mouth on her. He needed to lick her and suck her and make her scream in ecstasy. Alas now was not the time.

She deepened her kiss and held onto him tighter as she arched her back one final time as she found her release. Gold wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer. She whimpered.

"Belle, are you here?" They could hear Moe's voice from inside the suite. Belle jumped up off of Gold's lap and quickly adjusted her dress and panties. Her face was obviously flushed. Gold knew the bulge in his pants was extremely noticeable and the sound of Moe's voice wasn't enough to lessen it. In a way he wanted to pull Belle back onto his lap so that Moe could not doubt the nature of their relationship.

"I'm out on the balcony." Belle answered him and then looked back at Gold. "Stand behind me and put your arms around me."

Gold looked surprised. "Are you sure, Belle?"

"Yes, I want him to be clear about us."

Gold got up and pulled her against him. He was grateful that she was blocking his bulge from Moe's view, but concerned that this position wasn't helping the situation.

Moe walked out onto the balcony and stopped short at the sight of them.

"Good morning, Dad." Belle smiled brightly. "It's a beautiful day. I'm glad you didn't sleep in too late. Are you feeling any better? Your sunburn doesn't look as bad as it did yesterday."

Moe had locked eyes with Gold and was staring threateningly at him. "Good morning, Belle. I'm feeling a little better. The salve the doctor gave me seemed to help a bit." His eyes never left Gold's. Gold swallowed and pulled Belle a little closer.

"Rum ordered you coffee and pastries for breakfast. We weren't sure what time you were getting up so he didn't want to order any hot dishes."

"How thoughtful of him." Gold felt like prey that Moe was stalking.

"Don't forget that the captain is giving us a private tour of the bridge at 11am. Rum and I are going to a class together before that."

"Of course you are… let me guess… you're spending the whole day together." Gold's arousal was no longer an issue. Moe was not at all happy and Gold wasn't sure how to address it.

"Yes." Belle looked up and smiled at Gold. He smiled back at her even though he felt a sense of doom. "We have to finish getting ready. I don't want to be late for our class…" She turned to face Gold and giggled, "…though I'm sure you wouldn't mind."

He chuckled and took her hand in his. "I promise to be on time." The look of intimacy that they exchanged made Moe look the other way.

"OK, then. Let's meet in half an hour." She leaned up and kissed him on the lips. Gold could feel Moe staring. Belle left and Gold stood there waiting for Moe to say his piece.

They stood there staring at one another, neither saying a word.

Gold couldn't stand it any longer. "I'm sure you have a lot you want to say to me, Moe, but I have to get ready for Belle." He paused. "I didn't plan any of this. We just clicked and developed these feelings for one another. I don't know what else to say." Gold headed toward his room. He wanted Moe to say something, to confront him in some way, but he didn't say a word. It was worse than Gold had imagined it would be.

He didn't know how this was going to play out. He didn't want Belle to worry or be upset because her father did not approve of them. He didn't want to see Belle hurt at all. Moe was going to have to talk to him whether he wanted to or not. Gold finished getting ready and went back out into the common area to meet up with Belle. Moe was sitting there with a cup of coffee in his hand.

"She's my daughter, Gold." He said it accusingly.

"I know, Moe. I understand how you feel, but I can't help how I feel about her."

"She really likes you." He said it as though it were another accusation.

"Yes… and I really like her. You have to trust me..."

Belle appeared at the top of the stairs and their attention turned to her.

"Is everything OK?" She could feel the tension. Gold waited for Moe to answer.

"Yes, sweetheart. Everything's OK. If you're happy, then I'm happy."

Belle smiled and kissed him on the cheek. "I'm happier than I've ever been." She took Gold's hand and led him to the door. "We'll see you in a while, Dad… I love you." And with that they left the suite.

Belle turned to Gold. "I'm sorry, Rum. Did my dad give you a hard time about us?" She looked concerned.

"I think he's still in shock, but I don't blame him. I'm twice your age, I'm his business partner, I'm divorced with an adult son… I think he may have very deep reservations about my intentions, Belle."

Belle caressed his cheek. "He's going to have to learn to accept the fact that I want to be with you."

"I'm sure he thinks your feelings are real, Belle… I'm afraid he thinks I'm planning to take advantage of you." There… he said it.

Belle grinned at him and wrapped her arms around his neck. "I hope he's right."

Gold felt a smile forming at his own lips. She was not getting him this time. "Did you enjoy our little encounter this morning, darling?"

Belle felt a thrill run through her. "Yes, very much. I'm just sorry that you missed out." She ran her fingers through his hair. His cock hardened. Then she whispered in his ear. "I promise to make up for it later." His body responded intensely. He was glad they were alone in the corridor.

They resumed their walk and finally arrived at the room where the napkin-folding class was taking place. They entered and walked past the front table where a wide array of folded napkins was on display. Gold had to admit that they were impressive, but it still didn't make him any more anxious to be there.

"Belle!" Mary Margaret's voice was the last thing Gold was expecting to hear. He looked across the room to see her and David waving to them.

Gold groaned. He could not believe it. "I thought they already took this class."

Belle giggled. "They did. Maybe they want a refresher."

They made their way over to sit next to Mary Margaret and David. Gold was not happy to see the huge grin on David's face. "Fancy meeting you here, Mr. Gold. I never expected you to be at one of these classes." He burst out laughing.

Gold gritted his teeth. "Didn't you take this class already?"

Mary Margaret answered. "They're teaching different folds in this class." She looked at David and then continued. "I don't know if I mentioned it, but David was a bit of a star at our last class."

Gold was now very interested.

"He was a natural according to the teacher. He was a very quick study and became the center of attention."

David looked extremely pleased with himself. Gold suddenly felt the competitive side of his nature kick in. "Really? How fascinating." He was convinced that he could do anything David could do and he could do it ten times better.

"I think Rum is just going to watch." Gold heard Belle explaining to Mary Margaret.

"I changed my mind, Belle. I decided that since I'm here I might as well take part."

"Oh, I'm glad. I think it will be fun." Belle was all smiles.

"Yes." Gold was beginning to enjoy this.

The instructor arrived and introduced herself and explained what they'd be doing. When she saw David in the class she stopped to introduce him as a star student from the previous session. Everyone clapped and made a big fuss over him. Gold was determined to outdo him no matter what it took.

She began the first lesson. It was a sailboat which was meant to be one of the easier folds. She first did it quickly and then demonstrated fold by fold so that the class could follow her. David was able to keep up with her and Gold did the same. They both finished at the same time. David was visibly surprised by Gold's quick learning curve and the fact that his napkin looked even better than the instructor's.

"What did you do, Mr. Gold? Yours looks different."

"I changed two of the folds to give it a more pronounced look." David, Mary Margaret and Belle were all looking at him with their mouths open. Mary Margaret had completed hers even though it didn't look quite right and Belle was still struggling.

She turned to Gold. "You know how uncoordinated I am." She giggled. "This is like putting on the life jacket."

Gold immediately moved closer to her and began to help her with the folds. He was so patient and sweet with her that it had both Mary Margaret and David passing looks to each other.

"What have we here?" The instructor had been walking around the room to check on each person and had stopped in front of Gold and David. "Do we have another gentleman with a napkin-folding talent?" She was holding Gold's napkin in her hand so that the whole class could see. "This looks better than mine. What did you do?"

So much for being anonymous. When Gold didn't immediately respond, Mary Margaret answered for him. "He changed a couple of the folds to give it sharper edges."

"Very impressive. Class, let's give this gentleman a round of applause." The whole class applauded and Gold felt a little too exposed.

The instructor now went on to the next fold which was a pinwheel. She did the first one quickly as she had the previous time and then she began demonstrating fold by fold. Gold completed his before she got to the second fold. "How are you doing this Gold? Have you taken classes before?" David was amazed.

"Of course not. I can see what the folds are by looking at it." He answered sharply.

"That's pretty amazing, Mr. Gold." Mary Margaret was in awe.

Belle kissed him on the cheek. "You're very talented… and I need your help again."

He smiled and moved closer to assist her. David and Mary Margaret exchanged glances again.

The instructor had stopped again at their table. "Excellent work." Gold ignored her while he continued to help Belle. "He completed it before you got to the second fold." Mary Margaret felt compelled to share this info with the instructor. She was once again very impressed.

Before she left David asked her which fold they'd be doing next. "The swan. It's a favorite for most people."

"Mr. Gold." David was impressed by Gold, but his own competitive nature was kicking in. "Let's see how good you really are. Do you think you can make the swan without any instruction?" He was pretty sure Gold would not be able to do it.

Gold hadn't been this interested in anything David had said since he'd met him. "How would you like to make a wager, Mr. Nolan? If I can do it, you'll owe me favor. If I can't, I'll owe you one."

Nolan didn't think he could lose. "It's a deal." They shook on it.

Gold chuckled and took a napkin. He crafted a swan that looked exactly like the one on display. He then took another napkin and crafted one that looked ten times better.

Belle giggled. "I guess you owe him a favor, David."

"Yes, I guess so." David looked shocked. "So what favor do I owe you?"

Gold looked positively gleeful. "Oh, that waits to be seen. I haven't decided yet."

Belle whispered in his ear. "What are you up to? You're enjoying this too much." She couldn't hide her smile.

"Let's just say I love it when somebody owes me something."

Belle pushed his hair back from his face and whispered in his ear again. "You mean like when I owed you this morning? I think that ended up better for me than it did for you." She smiled innocently at him.

He felt himself becoming aroused just at the thought of it. "That's where you're wrong, sweetheart. I enjoyed it just as much, if not more, than you did."

Belle's body returned to its aroused state at his words. She was going to have to concentrate if they were going to get through the next couple of hours.

When the class ended, Belle, Gold, David and Mary Margaret proceeded to head over to the bridge for their private tour.

"How were you able to make those designs without any instruction?" They all looked at Gold.

"I can see things in my mind. I can't explain it. It just comes naturally."

As they approached the bridge the conversation turned to the captain, Killian Jones. Gold engaged in conversation with the rest of them, but couldn't help thinking about Moe in the back of his mind. Their confrontation was far from over. This next hour together was bound to be very uncomfortable. He pulled Belle closer. He did not want her to be upset by it.

The whole gang was already assembled in front of the secured door. Moe was animatedly talking to Gaston and looked his usual cheerful self. He warmly greeted David and Mary Margaret and then pulled Belle out of Gold's arms to hug her. He didn't even make eye contact with Gold. Gold took solace in the fact the Belle didn't seem to notice.

One of the ship's officers opened the door and ushered them onto the bridge. Moe still had his arm around Belle and pulled her in along with him. She looked back to see Gold entering last, his cane slowing him down a bit.

Moe held onto Belle and David stood beside Gold. "He finally figured it out."

"Yes." Gold was surprised that David was that perceptive.

"It doesn't matter what he thinks. Mary Margaret has a saying… the heart wants what the heart wants. Nobody can change that."

Gold looked him in the eye. "Thank you. I'll remember that."

As soon as Moe saw Captain Jones, he released Belle and ran over to greet him. Belle took the opportunity to make her way back to Gold. She linked her arm in his. "He'll come around."

Gold squeezed her arm. "I'm sorry, Belle. I don't want to be the cause of problems for you."

"You're not. Don't even think it." She gave him a pointed look. "Now just make sure you hold onto me tightly. I don't want to be pulled away again."

He couldn't help grinning at her demand. "Yes, dear."

She giggled. "Now that's much better." She felt relieved that he was able to make light of it. She'd just made progress with him. She didn't want him reverting back to feeling unsure of himself.

The captain now asked to have everyone's attention, insisting that the women make their way up front closer to him. Ruby was the only one who rushed forward. Gold chuckled. She might give the captain more attention than even he wanted.

Once he got his initial flirting and innuendos out of the way, Jones gave them a very informative and entertaining tour of the bridge. He didn't repeat any of the stories he had told them at dinner. Gold was again begrudgingly impressed.

As riveting as the captain was, most of them were mesmerized by the 360 degree views and the fact that the bridge looked like the command center aboard a space station. There were countless panels and gadgets that were used to control the ship. But the thing that amazed everyone the most was the size of the steering wheel. It was only a couple of inches in diameter. Everything was so automated that the old ships' wheels were a thing of the past.

When the tour was over they all gathered together out on the deck. Moe still seemed to be in a jovial mood. "Why don't we all go to lunch together? I'm going to be at the spa getting a treatment for my sunburn all afternoon so I can use a little company right now."

Belle turned to Gold. "Do you mind?"

"Of course not. I can't avoid your father, Belle… not if I want to be with you."

"Thanks, Rum. It will be OK. I know Dad. He's stubborn, but he's not unfair. Just give him some time."

"I'll do whatever it takes." He pulled her closer. He'd do anything she wanted.

Moe suggested that they have lunch in one of the specialty restaurants where it would be easier to get seats together. They decided on the pizzeria. They found a table and seated themselves around it. Moe didn't try to separate Belle and Gold this time around, but he made it a point to sit across from them. Gold felt under the microscope for the second day in a row. Last night he had been pretty sure that Moe was watching his every move. Today he had absolutely no doubt that was the case.

Belle seemed determined to ignore her father. She was extremely affectionate with Gold, touching him constantly as she was wont to do. At first Gold stiffened at her touch, afraid to respond at all, but eventually he couldn't help himself. It was a natural response that she brought out in him. He felt a need to touch her and to be touched by her.

"So what are your plans this afternoon, Belle? Why don't you see what's available at the spa?" Moe was not very subtle.

"Rum and I already have plans." She put her hand over Gold's. "It's a surprise for him so I can't say."

Rum felt Moe staring at him. "OK, then. Have fun."

"I'm sure we will." Belle put her hand on Gold's thigh. He responded in spite of Moe's scrutiny.

Moe turned away to continue a conversation elsewhere even though Gold felt as though he was still watching him out of the corner of his eye.

"So don't you want to know what your surprise is?" Belle had pushed his hair back and was whispering seductively in his ear.

"I think I should wait until we're out of sight of your father." He put his hand over hers to keep her from moving it further up his thigh. "I can't trust my reaction to it."

She giggled in his ear and his body responded further.

"Good idea." She put the hand that was on his thigh into his.

The meal ended and they all parted to pursue their own interests. Moe seemed in good spirits even though he still did not acknowledge Gold.

Belle took Gold's hand. "Let's head back to the suite. Dad will be gone all afternoon and we'll have the place to ourselves. It will be nice to have some time alone together."

"So what do you have in mind?" He thought back to where they'd left off that morning, but more than that he just wanted to be with her. It didn't really matter where they went or what they were doing.

"I thought we could just relax and talk out on my balcony. We're going to go swimming as part of tomorrow's tour. I think we should put on our bathing suits and get a little sun to prepare ourselves."

Gold barely heard what she said. He was too pre-occupied thinking of her in a bathing suit. Or so he thought.

"I'll need you to help me apply sunscreen… all over my body… and I'll help you. What do you think?"

He was speechless for a moment and then he chuckled. "You don't really expect an answer to that question, do you?"

"No." She giggled. "I just wanted to see how you'd respond."

He looked at her. Why did he feel as though she had still managed to get him? But then again, he didn't mind at all. He was about to spend an afternoon alone with her… in their suite and on her balcony… and even though he would have been perfectly content to spend the day simply talking to her, he had this intense need to express his feelings for her in some physical way… and that's what he was intending to do.


	8. Day 4: Sunscreen

Gold looked at himself in the mirror. When he came on this cruise he'd never expected to be wearing a swimsuit. He did not wear swimsuits and now he had no choice. Belle wanted to sunbathe together.

He didn't look too bad for a 50 year old man. He could allow himself to have self-doubts or he could think about the fact that Belle's hands would soon be rubbing sunscreen all over him. He chose to think of the latter.

He made his way up to Belle's room and knocked on the door.

"Come in, Rum."

He entered. Belle was standing there in a very brief blue bikini. Gold could not take his eyes off of her gorgeous body.

Belle giggled. "I need you to help me." She was trying to tie up her hair. "Hold my hair for me while I finish fixing it."

Gold moved behind her and did as she said. His body had involuntarily responded to her lack of clothing and now his close proximity to her was increasing the response. Belle finished tying her hair and then turned to hug him. The sensation of her bare skin against his made the situation worse. He knew that she could feel him and she was going to see him the minute they separated. His swim trunks weren't going to provide any cover.

Belle ran her fingers through his hair. His body was responding much too quickly.

"You're breathtakingly beautiful, Belle." He looked deeply into her eyes.

"So are you." She pulled his head forward so that she could kiss him. "You don't know how I feel every time I see you."

God, she made him feel so good about himself. He had so much self-doubt, but somehow she managed to make it all go away.

"So are we going to sunbathe?" Gold was still uncomfortable being alone with her in her bedroom. He knew where they were ultimately heading, but he wasn't prepared to go there yet.

"Of course." She grinned at him. "Can't wait to get your hands all over me?"

Damn. How did she always manage to do it? "If you must know, it's all I've been able to think about." He pulled her closer. He wasn't going to let her get the better of him.

She kissed him again. "OK, let's go out on the balcony. I moved a couple of lounge chairs into the shade. I burn even without direct sun. Do you mind putting the sunscreen on me first?"

"Of course not." He sat next to her on the lounge chair.

"You really are beautiful, Belle… and I mean in every way, not just physically." He gently applied the sunscreen to her face and then leaned in to kiss her lips.

She put her hands on the back of his head to pull him closer and to deepen the kiss. Gold ran his hands down her arms. His desire to touch her was overpowering.

Gold spoke first when they broke the kiss. "Belle." He kissed her nose." I don't want you to burn. Let's get this sunscreen on you. Why don't you lie down on your stomach so that I can start with your back?"

Belle switched her position and Gold began to apply the sunscreen to her shoulders and back. He touched her tenderly because he felt that way about her. Belle let out a sigh of contentment as he trailed little kisses on her.

"I like how you apply sunscreen, Rum. So many added benefits."

"We're just beginning, sweetheart." He continued to apply the sunscreen down her back until he came to her butt. It was so firm and round. He applied sunscreen to her exposed skin. She squirmed and made little sounds that made his cock harden more. "That feels so good, Rum." He wanted to cup her butt in his hands but instead continued down her legs.

"Time to turn over." He knew she would see how aroused he was. She did as he requested.

"Kiss me, Rum." He bent forward and kissed her.

He applied the sunscreen to her arms and shoulders and then moved down her chest. He stopped short of her breasts.

"Don't stop. I said all of me. I want you to touch me."

Gold's cock was throbbing. He gently applied sunscreen to the part of her breasts that were exposed. "You can untie my top, Rum."

Gold's hands were trembling as he untied the bow that was holding her top together. He pushed the material aside to reveal her breasts. He could not stifle the moan that escaped his lips. "You're so beautiful, sweetheart."

"Touch me. I need you to touch me."

He swiped his thumbs over her nipples. Belle whimpered and arched her hips. Gold's cock was straining. He continued to caress her nipples as Belle let out little whimpers.

"Rum."

"Yes, Belle?"

"I like how you touch me."

"I'm glad, sweetheart. I want you to feel good." God she was so beautiful and so sexy and so everything. He wanted to slowly worship every inch of her body and yet he wanted to just throw all caution to the wind and take her right then and there.

He brought his mouth down and flicked his tongue over each nipple. She cried out. He gently swirled his tongue around each one and felt them form into hard little peaks. When he could no longer resist, he covered each one with his mouth and sucked on them slowly and tenderly. Belle squirmed and moaned. His cock throbbed.

He looked up to see her eyes filled with lust and desire.

Gold moved his hands down her stomach to the edge of her bikini bottoms. Belle whimpered and arched her back. She was extremely wet and desperate for his touch.

Gold smiled. "I don't want you to get burned, sweetheart. I need to make sure your whole body is covered with sunscreen."

Belle whimpered as he moved down to her feet and started to apply sunscreen to her ankles and calves.

When he got to her thighs he separated her legs a little so that he'd have better access to her. By now he was aroused beyond control and wanted her to feel the same. He began to plant kisses on her inner thighs starting at the knees and stopping just short of her bikini bottom.

"Rum." She choked out his name.

"Now, now, darling. I have to finish covering you with sunscreen. He began to slowly apply the sunscreen to her thighs until he once again reached her center."Open your legs a little wider for me, Belle. I don't want to miss anything.

She let out a desperate little moan and opened her legs for him. He buried his face between her legs and sucked on her through her bikini bottom.

She cried out and grasped his hair in her hands.

He looked up at her and smiled mischievously. "Do you like that, sweetheart?"

She whimpered. "Yes, Rum. Please."

Gold slipped his fingers under the top of her bikini bottom and then looked at her again.

"Please, Rum." He pulled them off of her and then positioned himself between her legs. She automatically opened them wider for him. He thought he was going to come.

"Let me look at you, sweetheart." He used his fingers and thumbs to separate her folds, dipping one finger inside of her. "You're so wet." She kept whimpering.

"OK, darling." He put his mouth on her and gently kissed her. She grasped his head tighter and arched her back trying to intensify the contact.

Gold separated her folds further and swiped his tongue through them until he came to her clit. He knew exactly what she liked from the previous two times she had come against his fingers. He gently teased her with his tongue. She cried out and pushed his head down further into her.

Gold continued to cajole and tease her with his tongue, expertly increasing the pressure and intensity until she was almost in a frenzied state. Her whole body began to shudder under him as he used his tongue and mouth to lick and suck her over the edge. She arched her back one last lingering time and cried out before collapsing back into the lounge chair.

She moved over on the chair and pulled him up next to her. He put his hand over her mound to help her ease down.

"Rum." She barely whispered.

"Was that good, sweetheart?" He pushed a strand of hair out of her face.

"Yes, so good…" She had tears in her eyes. "Thank you."

An intense feeling of tenderness washed over him. He would do anything she wanted.

"Rum. Let me touch you." She had moved her hand between them and was stroking him through his swim trunks. His reaction was immediate and intense. He was so aroused that he thought he would come just from knowing that her hand was on him.

"Belle.' His voice was hoarse and he was pressing against her.

"Lie back. I want to take care of you." Belle sat up and made room for Gold to lie back on the lounge chair. She then positioned herself between his legs. "Let's get these off of you." Gold helped her remove his swim trunks. Belle wrapped her hand around his cock and stroked him from the bottom up to the top.

His cock seemed to harden more (he didn't know how) and he moaned from the pure torture of the sensation. And then he felt her warm wet mouth envelope the head of his cock. Every nerve in his body seemed to concentrate in that one spot. He moaned loudly and instinctively thrust into her.

"Belle." His voice was strangled.

She swirled her tongue around the head and them sucked on it. Gold cried out and thrust again.

"Belle, please." He was already on the verge of coming. His excitement was that intense.

Belle took his cock further into her mouth and began to move up and down on him.

Gold clutched the arms of the chair. "That's so good, sweetheart."

He tried not to thrust too much. Belle increased her speed and used her tongue to stroke his shaft with every upward movement. "So good, Belle, so good." He could feel himself coming. He clenched the chair arms more tightly and cried out as his seed poured out of him.

Belle continued to suck and lick him until he was completely done.

"Come lie next to me." Gold wanted to hold her close.

He kissed her repeatedly. "Thank you, sweetheart." He was once again overcome with extreme feelings of tenderness for her.

"Rum." Belle nestled against him. "That's how I feel about you."

His heart beat faster. "Me too, darling. Me too."

They lay in each other's arms for a while. Suddenly Belle giggled.

"What's so funny?" Gold could feel the smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

"We never finished putting on sunscreen. I hope we don't burn in the wrong places."

Gold chuckled. "I don't burn that easily… your butt is the only spot I didn't cover completely. Let me check it for you."

She giggled as she got up so that he could check her butt. "Does it look OK?"

"Looks perfect to me… but let me add some sunscreen just to be safe." He chuckled again. He rather enjoyed their lack of inhibition with one another. He applied some to her slowly and sensuously and then pulled her onto his lap. He nuzzled her neck.

"Rum, I'm going to put sunscreen on you. You do need it." Belle extricated herself from him.

"You're right." He lay back and Belle applied sunscreen to every inch of his body. By the time she was done they were both completely aroused again. His arousal, of course, could not be hidden.

"Sorry." He looked sheepish. "My body can't stop responding to you."

"I feel the same way." She grinned at him. "But I think we should put our swimsuits back on. I don't want my father to walk in on us."

Gold was brought back to the reality of the situation with Moe. "Good idea. You father already has enough issues with me."

Belle sighed. "I think we both need to talk to him… separately. I'm so sorry to have to put you through this, Rum. I feel as though he's acting as though I'm a child rather than a grown woman."

"Well, you are his child, Belle. It's natural for him to be concerned about you. I'm much older than you and I'm his business partner. It's not going to be easy for him to accept this, especially if he doesn't trust my intentions."

"I suppose. I just wish he had more faith in me. He's been so worried about me, just wanting me to be happy, and now that I am, I feel as though I can't share it with him. It hurts."

Gold hurt for her. He had to find a way to get Moe to come around. "I'm sorry, Belle. It may be more difficult than we'd like it to be. I don't think he's going to embrace the idea of the two of us that easily. It's going to take time." He just hoped that Moe would eventually accept it.

"I do have some good news for him." Belle looked shyly at Gold. "I've been offered the position of head librarian at the Storybrooke Library so I'll be living close to him again. I know he's missed me. I was waiting to surprise him with the news."

Gold's heart skipped a beat. She'd be living in Storybrooke. "That means you'll be living close to me too."

"I know." She smiled at him. "Maybe some things are meant to be."

His heart skipped another beat. "Yes…" He smiled back at her.

She pulled his head down to kiss him. The kiss was long and deep.

"We should get dressed." Belle reminded him again. Gold reluctantly agreed, but not until he ran his hands over every inch of her body again. "Your skin is so soft and smooth. I can't stop touching you."

"Good. I don't want you to stop." Belle's whole body was tingling from his touch.

They finally got dressed and Belle went downstairs to get them some iced tea and cookies.

They sat on the balcony talking and laughing for the next hour.

"Belle! Are you out here?" Moe's voice easily reached them from the lower balcony. Belle got up to look down at him.

"Rum and I are up here, Dad. We're trying to get some sun before we go swimming tomorrow. How's your sunburn? Did the treatment help?"

"Yes, the treatment worked wonders. I just wanted to know what we're supposed to wear tonight."

"It's informal attire. That means a jacket but no tie unless you want to wear one."

"OK. I'm going to have something to drink and watch some TV before I get ready." He exited the main balcony.

Belle turned back to Gold. "Maybe we should go downstairs and join him. I think he'd like the company."

Gold had misgivings about Moe's desire to see him, but he was willing to do what Belle thought best. He could imagine that Moe was already questioning why he was in Belle's room.

They went downstairs together, Belle in her bikini and Gold in his swim trunks. The air conditioning in the main area was in high gear and Belle immediately felt cold. "I'm going to go put on something warmer."

Gold was about to do the same when Moe stopped him. "So you spent the afternoon in my daughter's room?"

Gold tensed. "On your daughter's balcony." He felt guilty knowing full well that what Moe was insinuating was true.

"What did you have to do up there that you couldn't do here on the main balcony, Gold?"

This was much worse than he was expecting. He didn't think Moe would pry that deeply into his daughter's business. "I care about your daughter, Moe. You have to let this go and trust me and her. I won't do anything to hurt her." He didn't know how else to answer.

"Really? Just how much do you care about her?" Moe was determined to push this as far as he could.

Gold looked him directly in the eye. "I know you don't want to hear this, but Belle and I have a special connection. It's something I've never experienced before."

Moe looked taken aback. That wasn't what he was expecting. They heard Belle's door open and close and she came down the stairs. She immediately made eye contact with Gold and searched his eyes to see what was going on.

He smiled at her. "I need to change too. It's chilly in here with just swim trunks." He returned to his room.

Belle turned to her father. "Don't give him a hard time, Dad. I want to be with him. He makes me very happy."

"He's too old for you, Belle. He's divorced, he has a son your age, he's been involved with women who are nothing like you… your experiences are eons apart. What do you think he wants from a young beautiful woman like you?"

Belle walked over and hugged her dad. "You have to trust me to know what's best for me. I'm the only one who can decide that for myself. Rum and I have a special connection. I've never felt it with anyone else before."

Moe was taken aback again. "Did you tell him that?"

"No. Not yet… but I think he knows… I think he feels the same way."

Gold walked back into the room. He caught Belle's eye and she smiled. He guessed that she'd also been discussing him with Moe.

"So we still have a little time before we have to get ready for dinner. Should we all go out and sit on the balcony? Rum and I were enjoying being outside. We're going swimming as part of our tour tomorrow so I wanted to get a little sun ahead of time. I don't want to get a sunburn."

"Good idea." Moe agreed with her. "Did you put on sunscreen?"

"Yes, I'm all set. Rum helped me. Plus I was sitting in the shade. You know how I get enough sun even when I'm not in the direct light."

"Yes, I know." Gold felt Moe glaring at him again. He wasn't sure how wise it had been to mention his role in the sunscreen application. Belle was so honest and open. It was one of the things he loved about her. On the other hand, he could only imagine what Moe was thinking.

"What are you doing tomorrow, Dad? I hope it doesn't involve too much sun."

"It's a yachting and snorkeling tour, but I'll be covered up as much as possible this time around."

"Well just make sure your put sunscreen on any exposed skin."

"Don't worry, I will… What are you doing tomorrow?"

"We're going on a submarine tour and then we're visiting a turtle farm before we spend a little time at the beach. We have to swim in this beautiful water." She took Gold's hand in hers. "I made Rum buy a bathing suit since he didn't bring one." She giggled.

"Yes, I saw it." He gave Gold a disapproving look as though the swimsuit was akin to underwear in his mind.

The rest of the hour went by in like fashion with Belle carrying the conversation. Moe and Gold spoke to Belle only… never to one another. Gold was relieved when they finally returned to their rooms to get ready for dinner. He'd done his best. He'd told Moe how he felt about Belle and how special she was to him. He wasn't sure what else he could say. He couldn't help the fact that their relationship had a sexual element to it. There was no doubt in his mind that the knowledge of that was what bothered Moe the most. He was sure that Moe thought that he was somehow seducing his daughter.

Gold decided that he had to let it go for now. He concentrated on Belle. That lifted his spirits immediately.

When it was time for dinner, he purposely avoided going out into the common area ahead of time. He didn't want to deal with another confrontation with Moe tonight. The sound of Belle's voice was his signal that it was time to go.

He almost bumped into Belle as he exited his room.

"I was just going to knock on your door." She took his hand and kissed him on the cheek. Gold refused to look up to see if Moe was around.

He brought her hand up to his lips and kissed it. "You look enchanting as always, sweetheart."

Moe cleared his throat.

Gold nodded to him. He decided that he was going to speak to him as though nothing had changed. The walk to the dining room was less strained. Gold asked Moe a few questions and Moe answered without glaring at him. Gold felt a bit better.

When they arrived in the dining room, Gaston, Mary Margaret, David and Emma were already there. Moe sat next to Gaston and Belle and Gold sat on the other side of Moe. Gold was relieved not to be in Moe's direct line of sight. The others sat across from them. Gold knew that Nolan was bound to stir up some type of trouble, but it was certainly preferable to Moe's piercing gaze.

The rest of the gang soon arrived and the group engaged in their usual animated conversation. They'd all seen each other at lunch, but they still had a lot they wanted to share.

"Do you guys know that Mr. Gold has a very special talent?" Nolan's comment immediately got Gold's attention.

Everyone stopped talking to listen to David. Gold was glaring at him. He did not like where this was going.

"Mr. Gold, Belle, Mary Margaret and I took a napkin-folding class this morning." Everyone laughed. Even Moe let out one of his huge guffaws.

"I know, it sounds funny… but Mr. Gold and I managed to turn it into a competitive sport." They all laughed again.

"Anyway, it turns out that he has a hidden talent for napkin-folding. Even the instructor was impressed."

Moe evidently found this to be highly amusing. "Gold, you've been holding out on us." He laughed heartily. Gold was ready to murder David. Moe snatched the red napkin from Gaston's plate and handed it to Gold. "Let's see what you can do."

Moe's hearty laugh irritated Gold. He took the napkin and proceeded to twist it and turn it in a series of convoluted folds until he had what looked like a perfect red rose in front of him.

Ruby squealed and Mary Margaret kept saying that she couldn't understand how he could do it. Everyone was pretty impressed. Moe seemed determined to get another laugh out of this. "So what are you going to do with it? Use it to powder your nose?" Everyone laughed along with him.

"Actually, I was going to give it to this lovely young lady." He offered it to Belle. "If she'll have it."

Ruby squealed again and Mary Margaret sighed dreamily.

Belle smiled at him as though he were the only person in the room. "Well thank you, kind sir." They exchanged an intimate look that silenced Moe.

The conversation started up again and Moe kept furtively watching Gold. Belle seemed to be oblivious to his attention; Gold was uncomfortably aware of it. He'd felt it the previous night when Moe was only just beginning to have an inkling of what was happening between him and Belle. Tonight Moe was completely aware of the situation and his disapproval was tangible.

Belle continued to be her usual demonstrative self throughout the meal and Gold responded to her in spite of Moe's presence. He decided that he couldn't let Moe interfere with the way her felt. Moe was going to have to be the one to come around. His feelings for Belle were getting stronger with every moment he spent with her. Nothing was going to change that.

When the meal was over, Moe once again tried to rally everyone to join him at the ship's theater for an Oldies music show that had received fantastic reviews. Everyone agreed that it would be fun so they all headed over together. Like the previous night, they found seats together and Moe made it a point to sit next to Gold. Belle sat on Gold's other side.

"I hope he's not making you too nervous." Belle whispered in Gold's ear as she rested her hand on his thigh.

"No, sweetheart. He's going to have to get used to us." It wasn't Moe making him nervous now, but rather the position of Belle's hand.

"Good." She leaned over to kiss him while grasping his thigh more firmly.

Gold was horrified to feel his body reacting in spite of Moe's presence. He could not control his responses to her.

Belle continued to be very affectionate throughout the performance and Gold's body was in a heightened state of arousal by the time it was over. Fortunately, the show was highly entertaining and Moe's attention was completely focused on it. Everyone exited the show together and gathered outside to make further plans for the evening.

"Do you want to go for a stroll on the deck again tonight?" Belle wanted to be alone with Gold and she couldn't think of anything more romantic than walking along together under the stars.

"I can't think of anything I'd rather do." He pulled her against him, her back to his front.

Moe turned to them. "What are your plans, Belle?" He looked at them knowing that they were determined to go off alone.

"We're going for a romantic walk on the upper deck." She glanced up to smile at Rum and he smiled back down at her.

"Yes, of course." Moe looked at them thoughtfully.

They all lingered for a while longer, saying their good nights.

While Belle was distracted by Ruby, Moe pulled Gold aside one last time.

"She really likes you, Gold. **Really**."

"I know, Moe… and as I've already told you, I **really** like her…. I know you have a lot of issues with this, and we can discuss them if you want, but it's not going to change anything. I want to be with Belle and she wants to be with me. You can't think that I'm having some type of week-long fling with her... you know me better than that. I'm as serious about this as she is."

Moe opened his mouth, but nothing came out.

Belle came over and entwined her arm in Gold's. "Are you ready?"

"Yes, sweetheart." They said their good nights to Moe and walked off arm in arm.


	9. Day 5: Hell

"Good morning." Gold was startled when he heard Moe's voice. He'd been expecting to meet up with Belle on the balcony this morning. They wanted to get their first glimpse of Grand Cayman Island together.

"Moe… you're up early." Gold's stomach clenched. He did not want to have any confrontations at this early hour.

"Yes… change of plans."

Gold looked at him expectantly.

"I'm joining you and Belle on your tour today. I rescheduled last night. I decided that I would get too much sun snorkeling and yachting." Moe looked apologetic.

Gold surveyed him. "So this isn't about me and Belle?" He had to ask.

"Gold, give me some credit. I'll try not to interfere too much. I just don't want to spend the day alone. I was alone all afternoon yesterday. I'm not like you and Belle. I like having people around."

Gold almost felt bad for him. He couldn't begrudge him time with his daughter. Who wouldn't want to spend time with her?… but how he hated the thought of having to share her… and of being under Moe's surveillance. He still felt uncomfortable touching Belle in front of him. For some reason Belle did not seem to have the same problem.

"Dad… Rum…" Belle walked out onto the balcony and greeted them. She was wearing another very short sundress that begged Gold to look at her legs. Gold swallowed.

Belle kissed her father on the cheek and then walked over to Gold. She leaned up to kiss him on the lips while running her left hand through his hair. Gold's body began to respond. This was going to be awkward. "Good morning, sweetheart." Gold put his hands around her waist. "Your father has a surprise for you."

Belle turned to her father. She pressed her back against Rum and placed his hands back around her waist. Gold's arousal increased. He wanted to nuzzle her neck and then pull her onto his lap again. Unfortunately there'd be no chance of that this morning.

Moe gave Gold a pleading look. "I cancelled my tour last night. I thought it might be too much for me today."

Belle felt bad for him. "I'm sorry, Dad. What are you going to do all day?"

It was now Moe's turn to swallow. "There was a spot open on your tour. I'm going to be joining you and Gold."

Gold felt her body tensing. He squeezed her and whispered. "It's OK, Belle."

Her body relaxed immediately. He realized that she was more affected by this face-off between him and Moe than she let on. He ran his hands up and down her arms.

"You're sure you didn't switch to keep your eye on me and Rum?" Belle's question made Gold chuckle. He'd accused Moe of the same thing.

"Belle, I wouldn't do that. I promise not to interfere. I just want to spend some time with you." He looked so sad that even Gold felt an urge to hug him. Belle extracted herself from Gold and did just that. "OK, Dad. This might be good. I think it will be fun for the three of us to spend time together." She smiled widely. Gold could sense that she was genuinely happy. He was determined to make this thing work out between him and Moe. They both owed her that.

"So should we go to the buffet again this morning?" Belle directed her question to both of them.

They agreed and they headed to the lido deck for breakfast. Belle and Gold got through the food line pretty quickly and found a table near a window so that they'd have a view. Moe was overwhelmed by the variety of choices so he took much longer.

"I hope you don't mind too much, Rum." It was the first time Belle had to speak to Gold alone.

"Not at all, sweetheart. I'm glad you'll have some time with your dad." He smiled at her. "But I really wanted to pull you onto my lap again this morning. I was going to give us both a little pre-breakfast treat." His tongue flicked against his lower lip in a way that made her body shiver. She could feel herself becoming aroused at the memory of Rum's fingers and tongue and mouth on her. She let out a tiny moan. Gold smiled evilly. Maybe this was going to be more fun than he thought.

"I'm not going to be able to stop thinking about that, Rum."

"I'm glad, darling. It will give you something to look forward to later."

She moaned again.

Moe chose that moment to arrive at the table with two huge plates of food. Gold chuckled. He'd known that Moe would be like a big kid in a candy store when he saw all the choices available.

"Am I interrupting anything?'

Belle and Gold exchanged glances. "No, we were just discussing what we might do later." She looked at Gold and bit her lower lip. Gold knew she was trying to get back at him now... and he didn't mind at all.

Breakfast went much better than Gold expected. He didn't know if it was because Moe was too engrossed in his food, but he never once gave Gold a glaring look. It was the first time Gold felt relaxed since Moe had discovered the true nature of his relationship with Belle.

When the meal was over they went back to the suite to get ready. Moe headed directly to his room. Belle lingered in the common area with Gold.

"I need to see you in private for a minute." She led him to his room. He was nervous to have her in his bedroom with Moe in the suite.

"I didn't have a chance to greet you properly this morning." Belle once again ran her fingers through his hair. She moved closer to kiss him and they met in a long, slow, passionate kiss. The bulge in Gold's pants became visibly noticeable. He wanted to ditch the tour and throw her down on his bed.

"You're not playing fair, darling. It's going to be a long torturous day with your father along for the ride." Gold stroked her back and then pulled her in closer to him so that she could feel his arousal.

"I'm just getting back at you for what you said at breakfast." She smirked at him. "How do you expect me to get through the day thinking about what I missed out on this morning? I'm just leveling the playing field."

Gold grinned. "Oh, Belle. Just being near you levels the playing field. You don't know what you do to me."

Belle kissed him again. "You do the same thing to me, Rum. It's just not as obvious."

The image that conjured in his brain made him moan.

Belle giggled. "I'd better go get ready. We don't want to miss the tour." She turned to leave. "Oh, and Rum… thanks for being so good about this. I know my father is making this hard for you… but I think he'll start coming around after he spends more time with us. He'll see why I'm so crazy about you."

Gold couldn't hide his huge smile. "So you're crazy about me?"

"Of course… you already knew that." She opened the door. "I'm crazy about you… and other things." She walked out.

Gold stood there grinning foolishly to himself. She'd just told him that she was crazy about him. It's true that he knew it… she'd never be so intimate with him if she wasn't… but hearing it said out loud made his heart beat faster. He was crazy about her too… and a lot of other things.

Gold finished getting ready and then headed out to meet Belle and Moe. They both emerged from their rooms at the same time and the three of them made their way to the gangway to board the tender that was ferrying them to the dock. The water was a little rough so Belle held Gold's cane while Moe and a crewman helped him board. Gold was appreciative.

When they arrived at the dock they were ushered to the ferry that would bring them to the submarine. They were all pretty excited about it.

"How'd you two choose this tour? I don't think I noticed it originally." Moe looked at them. "Now I don't know why I overlooked it. How many people have been on a submarine?"

Gold and Belle agreed. They'd both chosen the tour for the submarine ride more than anything. It sounded intriguing.

The ferry ride out to the submarine docking area was fairly short. Moe climbed down into the submarine first and then helped Gold and Belle down. The tight quarters made it hard to switch places so Gold was once again sandwiched between Belle and Moe.

Belle whispered in Gold's ear. "I suddenly feel nervous."

He took her hand in his. He whispered back. "So do I." That made her feel better. "How's my dad? He looks nervous too."

Gold turned to Moe. "Belle wants to know if you need me to hold your hand. She thinks you look nervous."

Belle giggled and Moe laughed. "I think I'm getting the raw end of the deal here, Gold. You get to hold Belle's hand and I get to hold yours?"

Gold smirked. "Belle thinks otherwise." He squeezed her hand and she grinned at her father. Moe laughed again. Gold felt something shift. It was the first time Moe had made a joke about their relationship. That was a good sign.

The submarine pilot addressed them over the loudspeaker. He assured them of the safety features of the vessel and explained that it was naturally buoyant. If there was a system problem the sub would simply rise to the surface. The vessel began its descent and within a couple of minutes everyone's nerves had calmed. They were in a whole new world of amazing landscapes and colorful and exotic marine life.

Moe was having the time of his life, laughing and commenting. He had the enthusiasm of a child, something Belle seemed to have inherited from him. Gold felt as though he was seeing things in a whole new light with both of them by his side. He put his arm around Belle's waist.

When the ride was over they boarded the ferry again. Belle leaned against Gold and wrapped both of her arms around his waist. Gold put his arm around her shoulder. Moe sat across from them. Belle put her hand under Gold's shirt and caressed his back. He felt himself becoming aroused at her touch. He knew what she was up to so he squeezed her shoulder. She slipped her hand under the back waistband of his trousers. "Belle." He tried to whisper a warning to her and she giggled.

Gold did not look up. He felt Moe's eyes on him. Belle was going to be in major trouble. He was sure Moe knew something was going on.

Belle removed her hand and moved it up to run it through his hair. She knew the effect that had on him. She sat up and continued playing with his hair, this time using both hands. "Your hair got all mussed up from the wind. I'm just straightening it out for you." She was doing nothing of the sort and she knew it. Gold just prayed that Moe believed her. He caught her eye and she bit her bottom lip. He could feel his arousal increasing. He gave her a warning look and she giggled. How he wanted to pull her onto his lap. This was going to be a long day.

When they arrived at the dock they were ushered onto a bus for the next leg of their tour. Gold and Belle sat together and Moe sat across the aisle from them. Gold made sure that Belle had a window seat so that she could get a good view.

"I see you have your bag with you again." Gold teased Belle now that they were sitting alone.

"Yes." She smiled and reached in to pull out sunscreen. "Would you put some on my face for me?" She handed him the tube.

"Of course." Gold began to tenderly apply it to her face, gently rubbing it into her skin. He could feel Moe watching him. When he finished her face, he continued to apply it to the exposed skin of her shoulders and back and then her arms. When he was done, Belle took the tube and began to apply it to his face, stopping to kiss him along the way. The whole process was very sensual and Gold felt uncomfortable with Moe looking on. There was something extremely intimate in the way they touched one another even though he had tried to make it seem as casual as possible. Belle didn't seem the least bit inhibited by her father's presence. Gold admired that in her.

"Do you want some sunscreen, Dad?" Belle called across the aisle. Gold looked over and met Moe's eyes.

"Yes, thanks, sweetheart." Gold handed the tube to him. Moe held Gold's gaze.

The tour guide began to speak. Gold broke eye contact with Moe to look up at her. She explained to them that they'd be making three stops along the way and then launched into an entertaining account of the sights that they were seeing and some fascinating stories behind them. Everyone relaxed and enjoyed the ride.

They arrived at the turtle farm first.

"Did you bring a hat, Dad?" Belle was concerned about Moe's sunburn.

Moe looked sheepish. "I forgot. When I changed my tour I think I forgot that I'd still be out in the sun."

Belle gave him a reproving look. "You're going to have to borrow the extra hat I brought. That means Rum won't have one to wear." She handed her father her hat. "I'm sorry, Rum."

Gold had a huge grin on his face. "No need to apologize, Belle. I'm sure I'll be fine. Your father needs the hat a lot more than I do."

He chuckled as he observed Moe turning the hat around in his hand.

"You don't expect me to wear this, do you, Belle? It's a woman's hat." Moe looked incredulous. Gold could not wipe the grin off his face.

"Rum wore it the other day, Dad… without any complaints. I'm sure you can do the same."

"You wore this?" He looked at Gold.

Gold was loathe to admit it, but couldn't lie with Belle standing there.

"Yes. Belle insisted." He felt the need to blame it on her.

Moe guffawed. "I bet that was quite the sight. I hope you took photos."

Gold grimaced. "There's no photographic record of it, Moe. You, however, may not get off so easily." Things were looking up.

"Belle…" Moe's voice was pleading.

"Sorry, Dad, but you need to wear it. If Rum did it, then you can too." She was not about to give in.

Moe put the hat on his head, in essence admitting defeat.

Gold could not suppress his laughter. Moe glared at him again and then broke out laughing himself. "It appears she has both of us wrapped around her little finger."

Gold grinned and looked fondly at Belle. "No doubt…" and then he said something that surprised Moe. "Don't tell her, but I rather like it. She'd never ask me to do anything that wasn't in my best interest. Your daughter is a very warm and caring young woman."

Gold's words hit home with Moe. She was warm and caring, just like her mother had been. That's one of the first things that had attracted Moe to his late wife. He supposed Gold could feel the same way about Belle.

"Are you two talking about me?" Belle had not been able to hear what they were saying.

Gold grinned at her and she smiled back at him. She felt his happiness. "OK, OK. I won't ask." She whispered in his ear. 'I'll make you tell me later."

He put his arm around her waist and whispered back. "I'm sure you will."

The tour guide directed everyone to one of the park staffers who was going to give them an educational overview of the farm. They followed her the short distance to the turtle breeding area. Belle insisted that Gold join her under her umbrella. He had no objection since it meant that they had to stay very close together.

The tour was fascinating. They saw turtles ranging from newborns to sea turtles weighing up to 600 lbs. They all got a chance to hold a baby turtle. Belle took photos and Gold was relieved that he wasn't stuck wearing her hat again. Moe seemed to have forgotten that he was wearing Belle's hat since he posed willingly for several photos with a variety of turtles. Gold was amused.

At the end of the tour they had free time to grab a bite to eat at a restaurant that was located within the park. They sat outside on a covered deck and had tropical drinks and conch fritters, jerk chicken and a variety of other seafood appetizers. They talked and laughed and were able to see the turtles in the nearby lagoon. Moe was struck by how easily the conversation flowed between Belle and Gold. He still couldn't grasp how they could have so much in common. They were such different people in Moe's opinion, but Gold was right. They seemed to have clicked.

When the tour was over they returned to the bus and began the drive to their next stop. They were visiting a place called Hell, which was just a short distance down the road. Moe thought this was hilarious. They'd have time to take photos, visit the Hell post office and purchase souvenirs if they so desired.

Hell ended up being an outcropping of unusual black limestone formations jutting out of the landscape. The origin of the name was up for debate but it made for a great, if cheesy, tourist destination. Gold and Belle were interested in the geology while Moe was having a grand old time meeting the "devil" and exchanging corny sayings with everyone he came in contact with. "What the hell is this?" "How the hell are you?" "It's hot as hell today" and so on.

"Your father seems to be enjoying himself." Belle and Gold were walking around reading some of the signs explaining the geology and myths surrounding the site.

Belle giggled. "Dad's like a big kid in many ways. He loves silly things." She got more serious. "That's why it's hard to see him so concerned about me and you. It's not like him."

"I'm sure he's always concerned when it comes to your welfare. He's very protective of you, Belle. I can't really fault him. I just hope he's coming around to see that I'm crazy about you." He grinned at her and she grinned back.

"And other things that I'll leave unspoken for the time being." He grinned at her again and she laughed.

"What the hell are you two up to?" Moe joined them. He was still enjoying himself. "Belle, take a couple of photos of me and Gold… I want some of us in front of the signs that say Hell on them." Gold groaned and Belle giggled. "I'd be happy to."

"Traitor." Gold could barely accuse her before Moe had pulled him away from Belle's side. He put his arm around Gold's shoulder and directed him to various spots for optimum photo ops. Belle followed them around snapping photos.

She shared the photos with them and Moe guffawed. "Why so glum, Rum?" Belle giggled again.

"Why don't I take some photos of you and Belle, Moe?" Gold gave her a devious look. Belle smiled sweetly at him. "It's not going to work. I don't mind." Gold snapped several photos of them hoping to capture something that Belle would object to. Unfortunately she was so stunningly beautiful in every one that you didn't even notice the cheesy signage or Moe's posturing in any of them.

Moe then offered to take photos of Belle and Gold. He took photos of them near the rock formations and a couple in front of the signs. He even managed to get one of them with a devil. When they looked back at the photos he noted to himself that Gold no longer looked glum. He looked like he was crazy about Belle. Really crazy about her.

The tour guide put the fun to an end when she called them back to the bus. They were headed to their last stop which would allow them a couple of hours on beautiful Seven Mile beach to sunbathe, swim or just relax under an umbrella.

Moe, Gold and Belle found a quiet spot on the beach. They rented an umbrella and a couple of lounge chairs. Moe planned to stay safely ensconced under the umbrella with a nice cold drink. Gold and Belle were going swimming.

They'd worn their swimsuits under their clothing so it didn't take them long to get ready.

"I'm going to need you to put sunscreen on my back, Rum. I'll have to put it on the rest of my body with Dad here." She bit her lower lip as she said it. "And then I'll put some on you."

He moaned internally. He couldn't help thinking back to the previous afternoon. He could not allow his mind to go there.

"Can you help me with my hair first?" Belle was twisting it and trying to tie it up the same way she had the day before. Gold helped her arrange and fasten it. She gave him a quick kiss on the lips. Gold could feel Moe's eyes on them.

Gold sat down on the chair and Belle sat in front of him. He slowly and tenderly applied sunscreen to her shoulders and back. It took everything in his power not to apply it to the rest of her.

Belle took the tube from him and applied it to the rest of her body. Gold didn't take his eyes off her.

"Let me put it on you now. Belle made Gold move forward and she knelt behind him. She started to rub the sunscreen on his back, but didn't stop there. She moved her hands up to his shoulders and down his arms and then she put her arms around him and began to rub it on his chest and stomach. His body began to involuntarily respond. "Belle." He said it forcefully. He knew Moe was watching them. She leaned forward and nibbled on his ear. Gold knew he was losing control. He searched desperately for something to distract him. Thankfully Moe's foot was in his direct line of vision. The man had one of the most unattractive feet he had ever seen. Gold was grateful for it.

When Belle got a little too low on his stomach, Gold grabbed her hands. "I'll take it from here, sweetheart." He brought her hands up to his lips and kissed them. He could feel Moe's eyes burning holes through him. He finished applying the sunscreen on himself.

When he was finished Belle took his hand and pulled him up off of the chair. "Rum and I are going in the water. We'll be back in a little while."

"OK. Sweetheart. Have fun." He smiled at his daughter and briefly caught Gold's eye.

Belle led him to the water. He was limping without his cane and she thought it would be best if they got in the water right away. The water was crystal clear and the most beautiful shades of blue and green imaginable. Gold thought the water was almost as beautiful as Belle's eyes.

They walked out hand in hand until their bodies were completely covered. Belle wrapped hers arms around Gold and kissed him. "Alone at last."

Gold kissed her back. He knew Moe was watching. "You're not at all uncomfortable being so affectionate with me in front of your father. I admire that about you, Belle. I wish I could be more like you."

Belle kissed him again. "I'm not going to hide how I feel, Rum. My father is the one who has a problem with it. I don't. I like being affectionate with you."

"And I like it when you are, sweetheart. I wouldn't want it otherwise. I just feel as though your father looks at me as some type of pervert every time I touch you." He had to tell her how he felt. "Sometimes I feel myself holding back because I'm afraid of what he'll think."

Belle ran her hands over his chest. "I can tell, Rum. I actually think it's pretty sweet that you care so much about what my dad thinks about us. It says something about how much you care about me." She blushed. "I like you exactly the way you are. You make me feel special and…" she blushed a little more, "really sexy. I never felt that way about myself before."

He looked incredulous. "I don't think I have anything to do with that, Belle. You're an extremely beautiful and sexy woman." He ran his hands down her arms and to her butt and then pulled her against him to feel his arousal. "Every time I see you my body responds whether I want it to or not."

She smiled shyly. "I know. So does mine… and I want to share that feeling with you every time. I feel completely uninhibited with you. I've never been this comfortable with anyone."

Gold's felt his heart racing. He pulled her even closer as he leaned in to kiss her. Belle wrapped her legs around his waist so that his cock was pressing against her center. He moaned and thrust against her.

"Sweetheart."

"I want you, Rum. In every way." She pressed against him further and he felt himself responding a little too much. Why did she have such an immediate and overpowering effect on him?

He moved his hand between their bodies and pushed the fabric of her bikini bottom aside so that he could touch her.

She clung to him more tightly and whimpered. "We should wait until later."

Gold kept caressing her. "I want you to feel good right now, sweetheart. I think you need this." He continued to caress and stroke her clit as she clung tightly to him and pressed her face against his shoulder. She wanted to bite his shoulder to keep herself from crying out in ecstasy as he pushed her over the edge with his fingers. He could feel her whole body relax as the tension drained from it.

"Was that good, sweetheart?" He kissed the top of her head.

"I can't tell you how good, Rum." She unwrapped her legs from him and planted her feet back in the sand. She continued to cling to him.

'I thought you were uncomfortable touching me in front of my father." She giggled.

"You don't think he has any idea of what just happened out here, do you?" Gold wanted to pull her onto his lap again.

"No. Even if he did he'd refuse to believe it." Belle cupped him in her hand.

Gold pushed into her and moaned. "I think this is where we draw the line, darling. I'll have to wait until later. It will make it all the more exciting." He felt as though he could come immediately. "The only problem is that I'm not going to be able to get out of this water anytime soon." His erection was straining against his swimsuit.

'What can I do to help?" Belle asked innocently and then giggled.

"Wrong question, sweetheart." He pulled her closer again. He needed to feel her against him. "Let's race each other. That should help divert some of this 'energy'."

"Oh, I'd love that. I'm a pretty good swimmer." Belle smiled happily.

"I'm not too bad myself." Gold grinned at her. She was the cutest little thing to him.

"OK. Let's see who can make it within 5 feet of the woman in the pink straw hat first."

"You're on." Belle dove into the water and began swimming. Gold followed her lead and kept neck in neck with her.

"I think it's a tie." Belle was laughing as they arrived together.

They continued to race each other several times, always coming within a few feet of each other. They kissed each time they stopped. It was their little reward to one another.

Gold finally suggested that they get out of the water. He was concerned that Belle was getting too much sun. Her skin was so white.

They walked hand in hand back up to the umbrella where Moe was sitting. "I didn't think you had the stamina to keep up with Belle, old man. I'm impressed. She's an excellent swimmer."

Gold's heart stopped for a second. Moe had just called him "old man" again. It was the first time he'd done that since he'd found out about Gold's involvement with Belle. It was a good sign. It was sort of Moe's code word for "buddy".

"I've been swimming for years, Moe. It's therapy for my leg." Gold had never shared that with anyone before.

Belle wrapped her arms around Gold's waist from behind and then pulled him onto the lounge chair with her. They ended up with her partially on top of him. Gold prayed his body would not respond in any way. She pushed his hair back. "That was fun."

Gold put his arm around her and she nestled closer against him. Moe was watching their every move.

"It was. I just hope you didn't get too much sun." Moe noted Gold's concern.

They ordered drinks and spent the rest of the time laughing and talking. When their time was up they piled back into the bus and returned to the ship. Belle did not take her hands off of Gold for the rest of the day and he reciprocated. He liked touching her. It was the way they expressed their feelings to one another. Belle was right. Moe was the one who would have to learn to accept it.

When they got back to the room they agreed to meet at their usual time for dinner. They had a while to relax and get ready.

"I need to see you privately for a minute." Belle did not try to hide her statement from Moe.

Gold felt some of his nerves returning. "OK, sweetheart. What is it?"

Moe turned to leave but not before noting that Belle had entered Gold's room with him.

Belle put her hands under Gold's shirt and moved them over his chest.

"What are you doing?" His body was already semi-aroused from just having her alone in the room with him.

"Touching you… any way you want." She moved her hands down to the waistband of his pants.

His cock became engorged. He'd been so aroused all day that he could barely control himself any longer. Belle caressed him through his pants.

He moaned. "Belle. We should wait until later."

"You need this now, Rum. I know I've been torturing you all day. Let me take care of you." She pressed her lips to his chest as she continued to fondle him.

He didn't argue. He let her unbuckle his belt and lower his trousers.

She took him in her hand and began to caress him. The pre-cum was already dripping out of him. She used her thumb to spread it over the head of his cock. He moaned and held onto her tightly. Belle began to stroke him as they met with open mouths and tangled tongues. Gold concentrated on the feeling of her hand on him. The thought of her touching him excited him in a way that was much more than physical. She had this inexplicable effect on him. He didn't try to hold back because he couldn't. His sperm spouted out of him within a couple of minutes.

"Oh, Belle." He leaned his forehead against hers. "You know exactly the right thing to do for me."

They stood leaning against each other. They could hear each other's hearts beating.

Gold pushed a stray strand of hair away from her face. He traced her nose and lips with his thumb. "There's nothing I'd rather do right now then lie on this bed and hold you close for the rest of the night."

She had a way of bringing out a combination of lust and tenderness in him that he didn't know quite how to express. He wanted her to know that he found her unfathomably desirable and sexy but that he also felt a deep connection to her that had nothing to do with the physical.

"I know what you mean." She smiled at him. "I feel the same way." She pushed a stray lock of hair away from his face and then traced his nose and lips with her thumb.


	10. Day 5: Glittery Gold and Silky Smooth

Gold, Belle and Moe met for dinner at their usual time. Moe greeted Gold enthusiastically and put his arm around his shoulders as they headed out to dinner. Belle seemed extremely happy to see her dad acting normally again. She'd been feeling upset for Rum. He'd done nothing wrong and yet her dad had been treating him unfairly. She took Rum's hand and squeezed it. He knew exactly what she was saying to him. He squeezed her hand in return.

They were the first ones to arrive at their table. Gold helped Belle to the best seat and sat next to her. Moe sat on the other side of Belle. The rest of their party arrived within minutes and everyone began to animatedly share stories about their day on Grand Cayman.

Moe's booming voice and hearty laugh soon became the main focus. "Yep, Gold and I went to Hell and back today and our relationship is all the better for it." More laughing ensued and Moe went on to give them the lowdown on their tour. "Belle, show them the photos." Belle did as he requested. Gold grimaced.

"Nice hat, Moe." David was laughing at the sight of Moe wearing Belle's hat.

"It's Belle's. She insisted that I wear it to keep from getting too much sun. If I wasn't there she would have made Gold wear it. She made him wear it the other day when we visited Cozumel." Moe almost choked over his own laughter.

Nolan thought this was hilarious. "I'd pay to see that." He turned to Belle. "You must have some photos."

Gold didn't give her a chance to answer. "There are no photos, Nolan." He almost growled it, making Nolan laugh even harder.

"I bet he looked adorable." David ignored Gold and looked at Belle.

She giggled and put her hand on Gold's arm. "He did. But he always does."

David continued laughing. Gold glowered at him.

Moe could barely catch his breath from laughing. He finally calmed down and proceeded to praise Gold. "We actually had a lot of fun. Who knew that Gold could be such good company?"

Everyone laughed at Gold's expense, but he didn't mind. He'd obviously made some headway with the man and could suffer these few light-hearted indignities in exchange for that. He could tell that Belle was happy about it and that's all that mattered to him.

Dinner went by quickly and pleasantly. Moe was in high spirits the whole time and Gold saw how much it meant to Belle. He hoped it would continue in that vein.

By the end of the meal Gold felt tired. The long, somewhat stressful day was catching up with him.

As if she knew what he was thinking, Belle commented on her own state of exhaustion. "I'm so tired tonight, Rum. Would you mind if we just went back to the suite and relaxed out on the balcony. I don't think I can do another thing today."

"You read my mind." He put his arm around her waist. "It's been a long day. Why don't you head back to the suite and change into something more comfortable? I need to attend to a small matter. I'll join you shortly."

"Thanks, Rum. I'll see you in a little while." She kissed him on the cheek and left to return to their room.

Gold made his way to the sundry store. He'd known from day one that he had not planned well for this cruise. He had not brought enough casual clothing… he had not brought sunscreen… he had not brought a hat. Those had been oversights on his part that were due to his own lack of interest in the trip. There was one thing that he now needed that he could have never foreseen. He wasn't even sure if he was going to be able to purchase it on the ship.

Things with Belle were moving rapidly. He certainly didn't want to push ahead to the next level, but he also didn't want to be unprepared if they got to that point.

He briefly scanned the store to no avail so decided it was best to ask the clerk behind the counter.

"Do you sell condoms here?"

The clerk looked surprised, but quickly recovered. "Yes, sir. Do you have any special requirements?"

Gold was thrown. "No, just give me your most popular brand."

"Regular, Large or Extra Large?"

"Large." Gold was anxious to get this purchase completed.

"We only have one type in that size, sir."

"That's fine. Give me what you have."

"That will be $19.35, sir."

Gold handed him a $20 bill.

"I'm afraid we don't accept cash. You can charge it to your SeaPass card."

Gold was taken aback. "I don't want to charge it to my room. I'd like to pay for this separately."

"I'm sorry, sir, but you have to use your SeaPass card for all purchases. We don't have the option for any other forms of payment."

This would not do. He could not charge condoms to the suite. Moe would be the one reviewing all of the room charges before they paid them.

"Mr. Gold?" David Nolan's voice was the last thing Gold needed to hear. "Can I help you with something?" David had noticed that Gold seemed to be having some type of problem at the counter.

Gold groaned to himself. There was no way he wanted Nolan to be this involved in his business. He turned to block his purchase and saw Moe entering the store. This was now becoming a nightmare.

"I'm calling in my favor, Nolan." Gold said it between gritted teeth. "I need you to charge my purchase to your room… no questions asked."

Gold could see the questions immediately forming in David's eyes. "Just charge it." He almost barked it. By now Moe had noticed them and was heading over. Moe wrapped his arms around their shoulders. "What are you two up to?" He glanced at the counter and saw the condoms. He chuckled and gave David a slap on the back. "Good man… I like seeing our young people being responsible."

David caught Gold's eye and Gold gave him a warning look.

"What are you doing here, Gold? Where's Belle?" Moe looked concerned.

"Belle's exhausted after our long day. I'm meeting her back at the suite in a few minutes. We're going to stay in and relax out on the balcony." By now David was purchasing the condoms. Gold was relieved. He bought a pack of gum to make it look as though he had a purpose being there and then left the store with David. Moe was still busy looking around.

When they got out into the passageway, David pulled the package of condoms out of the bag. "Let's take a look at what I purchased." He began to peruse the label.

"Give those to me, Nolan." Gold was getting impatient.

"Glittery Gold and Silky Smooth." David could not suppress his laughter. "You really are filled with surprises, Mr. Gold. Let me see… do they glow in the dark?"

"Give them to me." Gold grabbed them from David's hands. He stared at the package and groaned. David had not been joking. "The clerk said this was the only type left in my size. I hope this isn't real glitter."

David could no longer hold back his laughter. He took the package back and perused it. "No, it's just a design." He laughed again just from thinking about it.

"Not a word of this to anyone, Nolan. That's part of our deal." Gold tried to glare at him but ended up laughing himself. The whole thing was so ludicrous.

"OK. Not a word from me." David zipped his lip.

Gold stared at him for a second and then extended his hand to shake David's. "Thank you. They don't accept cash here and I couldn't charge these to my suite. I didn't want Moe to see them on our bill. He's having a hard enough time accepting the idea of me and Belle being together."

David was surprised that Gold had confided in him. He felt flattered. "Any time, Mr. Gold. If it makes you feel better, I think Moe's coming around. He seemed a lot more comfortable with you tonight."

"Yes. I think we've made some progress. Now I just hope it will continue. Good night. I don't want to leave Belle waiting any longer and I'm sure Mary Margaret's expecting you."

"Good night, Mr. Gold." David watched him walk away.

Gold put the package of condoms in his jacket pocket and walked quickly back to the suite. He was looking forward to a quiet night in Belle's company. Being with Moe all day had taken more out of him than he'd realized.

When he arrived at the suite, Belle was there to greet him. She had traded her dress for a short skirt and comfortable top. She was barefoot and she was not wearing a bra. Gold's body immediately responded. He no longer felt tired.

"Why don't I help you get more comfortable, Rum?" Belle began to undo his tie. He let her remove it and drape it over one of the chairs.

"Let's go out to the balcony. It's so beautiful tonight. We can relax better out there." She took his hand and led him outside.

"Now where were we?" Belle pushed the jacket from his shoulders. He finished removing it and threw it on one of the lounge chairs.

Belle steered him to the other lounge chair. It was large and strong and cushioned. "Lie back, Rum." He did as she requested and she pulled off his shoes and socks.

Then she climbed onto the chair with him and straddled him so that her center was pressing against his very erect cock. He moaned at the contact. "Belle." His voice was hoarse.

"Does this feel good, Rum?" She pressed further against him.

He put his hands on her hips. "You know it feels good, sweetheart. So good."

She leaned forward to kiss him. He put his hand behind her head and pulled her close. They met with open mouths and teased each other with their tongues. Gold thrust against her. He'd never felt this excited.

When they broke their kiss, Belle stroked his cheek. "I want this, Rum."

"I want it too, sweetheart, but I don't want to do anything unless you're sure. I'm willing to wait as long as you want." He meant every word of it. He desperately wanted her, but he would do whatever she felt comfortable with.

"I don't want to wait. This feels right to me now."

Gold stroked her cheek and pulled her forward to kiss her again. His heart was beating loudly and his cock was straining against his trousers.

"I'm on the pill." She paused. "For medical reasons." She blushed. "I don't want you to think that I was expecting to need it." Now she felt embarrassed.

Gold pulled her closer. "You don't have to explain anything to me, sweetheart."

"But I want to. I've only slept with one other man in my life." She wanted him to know.

"Your almost fiancé?"

"Yes. I haven't even been interested in anyone since… until I met you."

"And I haven't been with a woman since Cora. I never expected to meet anyone on this trip, Belle." He hesitated. "I have a confession to make…" He hesitated. "I'm a little nervous."

"Oh, Rum." Belle hugged him. "I feel nervous too. I think it's natural when you want something to be perfect… but it doesn't matter if it's perfect or not… I just want to be with you."

"You're very wise, Belle. Younger than me and much wiser." He pushed the hair away from her face.

He chuckled. "Speaking of things not being perfect, I have another confession."

His chuckle made her smile.

"My little errand tonight… I purchased condoms because I didn't want to be unprepared if we got to this point."

"Oh. Maybe I should have told you that I was on the pill sooner."

"No matter... but just for the record, my condom purchase did not go smoothly."

"No?" Belle felt a giggle coming on. "What happened?"

"They wouldn't accept cash for the purchase… they wanted me to charge it to the suite, but I couldn't let your father see condoms on our bill. I was trying to decide what to do when Nolan arrived. My first instinct was to block the purchase from him, but then your dad walked in and I made Nolan charge the condoms to his room to fulfill the favor he owed me. Your dad came over and praised him for being such a responsible young man."

Gold grinned and Belle giggled. "Poor David. I'm sure Dad made a scene."

Gold laughed. "Don't worry about Nolan. He didn't mind at all. He enjoyed this as much as the napkin folding and the news that you made me wear your hat."

Belle kept laughing. "I'm sorry, Rum."

He pulled her closer. "No, you're not."

She laughed more.

"But that's not the worst of it." He couldn't suppress his own laughter.

Belle kept giggling. "What's worse?"

"They're in my jacket pocket. See for yourself."

Belle got up and retrieved his jacket from the other chair. She found the package in his pocket. "Glittery Gold and Silky Smooth." She read from the label. "Do they glow in the dark?" She giggled.

"Very funny. That's the same thing Nolan asked. They were the only ones they had in my size so I had no choice. I didn't realize what I had purchased until Nolan read the packaging. You can imagine how delighted he was about them."

Belle straddled him again and giggled. "I kind of like the idea of the glittery gold. It's arousing me for some reason." She started to unbutton his shirt. "Maybe we'll find a use for them one of these days." She pulled his shirt open and ran her hands over his chest.

He groaned and his cock became even more erect. Why did the idea of her enjoying those glittery gold condoms excite him so much? Was it because she referred to their future together? Was it because it appeared that she might have a kinky side to her? Or was it because she was enthusiastically undressing him as she spoke about them?

Gold suddenly felt her tongue on his nipples and every other thought vanished from his brain. His whole body was now focused on her mouth and tongue and what they were doing to him. She alternated her mouth with her fingers and the sensations went right to his throbbing cock. He didn't see how he was going to last.

"Do you like that, Rum?" She looked up to meet his eyes.

"That's amazing, Belle."

She seemed pleased with herself. She continued to lavish her attention on his nipples. He whimpered and involuntarily bucked his hips in response. What was she doing to him? Without warning she slowly began to trail kisses down his stomach to his navel, ending up just above his belt buckle. Gold could barely control his desire for her. She licked his navel with her tongue and then unbuckled his belt. Gold moaned. "Belle."

She unzipped his pants and then pulled them and his boxers off of him. His cock was almost flat against his stomach. Belle knelt between his legs and ran her tongue over his cock from the bottom to top. She traced the rim of the head with her tongue and took it into her mouth. Gold put his hands on her head.

"Belle, I won't last. I'm going to come if you do that."

She teased his cock once more and then released it from her mouth. "That's too bad. I love putting my mouth on you." Gold groaned.

"Come up here. It's my turn." He pulled her up so that she was straddling his waist. When her body met his bare skin he met her eyes. "You're not wearing anything under that skirt."

Belle giggled. "I was waiting for you to figure that out."

Gold groaned again. "You're killing me here, sweetheart." She leaned forward and kissed him. It made her feel good that he was so excited by her.

Gold put his hands under her top and stroked her back. He brought his hands around to the front and cupped her breasts. "Everything about you is perfect, Belle." He caressed her nipples with his fingers and she whimpered and pressed herself against him. He could feel how wet she was.

Gold grabbed the hem of her shirt and lifted it over her head. "Let me see you." He stroked her nipples again with his fingers and watched them harden into little peaks. "You're so beautiful."

"Come up further and lean over me. I want to put my mouth on you." Belle leaned over him so that he could take her right nipple into his mouth. He teased it with his tongue and then began to suck on it, gently at first and then a little more hungrily. She didn't know if it was the position or the way he was sucking on her, but the sensations that went through her body were unlike any she'd ever felt before. She was dripping wet and on the verge of coming. If she rubbed against him she'd have an orgasm.

She moaned loudly. Gold released her right nipple and moved her over so that he could take her left one into his mouth. She whimpered and moaned. "I feel like I can come just from this." She ground against him.

Gold released her nipple to reply. "I'll do anything you want, Belle. Just tell me."

"I want you in me, Rum." Her eyes were dark and her voice was husky.

"OK, Darling." He stroked her cheek. "I want that too." He moved his hand between their bodies to touch her between her legs. He already knew she was wet. As soon as his fingers touched her she cried out. The sensations were overwhelming. He pressed his thumb against her clit and curled two fingers into her. She knew if he started to stroke her she would come immediately.

"Rum." Her voice was pleading.

"Yes, sweetheart. Let me touch you. You need this." He gently stroked her and she felt herself losing control. Her little cries made him know what she needed. He worked his fingers in her and against her clit until her body spasmed and clenched against his fingers.

Gold was so aroused by her reaction that he thought he would come himself. He couldn't let that happen.

"Belle, sweetheart." He pulled her head against him.

"Rum." She wrapped her arms around him. "I need to have you in me."

"I need it too, Belle. Let's go inside on my bed. It will be more comfortable."

They barely made it into the room through the sliding door. They were both almost weak from desire.

Gold pulled the covering off the bed so that they could lie back on the sheets. They lay facing each other. Belle wrapped her leg over Gold's hip. He pushed his cock against her, rubbing it against her clit. She began to feel the desire build in her again. He took his cock in his hand and positioned it so that it was rubbing against her opening. She whimpered." He pushed against her slightly so that she could just feel him entering her.

"Rum." She looked into his eyes.

"What is it, darling?" He felt the greatest tenderness for her at that moment.

"I like to be on top." She said it somewhat shyly.

He couldn't contain his grin. He loved how she had taken control of the situation. The way she had initiated everything and had taken charge excited him in a way that he could not explain. He was always the one in control in his everyday life and he willingly gave up that control to her. It wasn't even a conscious decision to do so. She did things to him that basically rendered him at her mercy. And he was enjoying every second of it.

"Of course you do. I know you're determined to have your way with me. So be it." He liked teasing her.

She giggled at little at his teasing. "I think I've made that pretty clear." His whole body responded to her words.

"I'm all yours." He lay back on the bed and Belle knelt and straddled him. She took his cock in her hand and lined it up with her opening and began to lower herself on him. He could not suppress a moan as he entered her. She was so tight and warm and wet. Belle whimpered as she continued to take his full length into her, lowering herself on him until her body was flush against his. Neither of them had taken a breath.

Gold was amazed that she'd been able to accommodate him… she was such a tiny thing. But they fit together perfectly. She smiled at him and he took her hands in his. "We're a perfect fit."

He could have stayed in that position with their bodies joined together. It felt right and he didn't want to separate from her. Belle felt the same way. There was a feeling of belonging together that neither of them could deny.

After a minute of adjusting to each other, Belle began to raise and lower herself on him. He was thankful for the minute of adjustment because he had been on the verge of coming as soon as his cock had been enveloped by her. He was now in better control as she began to slowly ride him.

Belle felt her arousal building as soon as he entered her. The fullness inside of her coupled with the friction caused by her movements had her whimpering. She rubbed her clit against his body every time she pushed down on him.

"Is this OK for you, Rum?" She met his eyes and smiled shyly at him.

He took her hands in his. "Nothing has ever felt better." He had not taken his eyes off of her. "Have I told you how beautiful and sexy you are? Do you have any idea how much you excite me?"

His words excited her in return. She saw the way he was looking at her and it made the throbbing between her legs grow more urgent.

She quickened her pace and began to raise herself higher and push down harder. The increased pressure against her clit made her whimper each time she pressed against him. Gold groaned as her body gripped his cock and pumped it with every movement. He held her waist to assist her and began thrusting in rhythm with her. The way she was moaning made him know that she was very close. He was so close to the edge himself that he had to bite his tongue to hold on longer for her. Belle's body began to convulse and spasm around his cock. He thrust rapidly into her and moaned loudly as her spasms sucked the semen from his body. She cried out as they came at the same time with an intensity that neither of them had ever experienced.

Belle collapsed against him. Gold's cock was still in her and she wanted it to stay that way. So did he.

"Belle." He ran his fingers through her hair. He was breathing heavily.

"Rum." Her heart was racing.

They lay there silently until Gold spoke. "We have something special between us, Belle. Physical and otherwise."

"I know. I've known it all along." She kissed his chest and looked up to meet his eyes. She smiled at him. "I've never been this happy."

"Me neither." He stroked her back. "I want you to stay with me tonight."

She held him tighter.

"Belle, I'm going to get up a minute to bring our clothes inside. We can't leave them out on the balcony."

"OK." She responded sleepily.

Gold gathered their clothing and then locked the sliding door and pulled the drape over it. He got back in bed with Belle and pulled the sheet over them.

She wrapped herself around him.

He kissed her head. "Good night, sweetheart."

"Good night, Rum."

She was asleep within seconds. Gold stayed awake looking at her for a while longer. She had a little smile on her lips that made him want to kiss her. He had never felt this happy or content in his life. He wanted to stay all wrapped up with Belle like this forever and he was sure she felt the same way. He fell peacefully asleep in her arms with the same little smile as Belle's playing at his lips.


	11. Day 6: Together

When Gold woke up to find Belle still wrapped around him he had to remind himself that this was real and not a dream. He was lying in bed with the only woman he'd ever want to share his bed with again. It amazed him that he knew this and he knew it definitively.

Belle let out a little sigh and snuggled closer to him.

Gold's cock was already erect. Her movements served only to increase his arousal.

He stroked her back with his hand and she sighed again. And then, before he knew what was happening, he felt her tongue licking his nipple. Every ounce of blood in his body that wasn't already there seemed to rush to his cock.

"Belle… sweetheart." He ran his fingers through her hair.

"Mmmmm…" She continued licking him and sucking him, moving now to the other nipple to give it equal attention.

Her obvious enjoyment and desire to please him excited him as much as what she was doing to him. She finally looked up at him with a grin on her face. "You like?"

He tried to bite back his own grin. "You know I like it, sweetheart. I can't exactly hide that, can I?"

She giggled. "No." She reached up to run her fingers through his hair and then she switched her position so that she was straddling his waist. "Can you tell that I like it too?" She looked innocently at him.

He could feel how wet she was as she rubbed against him. He groaned. "Come here." He pulled her down toward him. Their lips met for a slow sweet kiss that turned passionate and needy. Gold moved his hands to her breasts and began to tease her nipples with his thumbs. Belle whimpered and continued to rub against him.

"Are you trying to tell me something, darling?" He rolled them over so that she was pinned beneath him.

Belle whimpered. Gold's eyes were black and filled with desire. Belle felt a shiver of excitement run through her body.

He put his lips on the base of her throat and she let out a little gasp when he licked her. He then trailed very wet kisses down to her breasts. He raised his head and looked at her naked body. "You're breathtakingly beautiful in every way, Belle." Belle felt the throbbing between her legs increase as she watched him looking at her. She'd always felt shy about her body, but for some reason she wanted him to look at her and felt excited when he did. She watched him as he lowered his head and took her right nipple in his mouth. He gently circled her nipple with his tongue and then slowly sucked on it. Belle let out a little cry and arched her back in response. Gold smiled and looked up at her. "You like?"

Belle let out a little sound that was somewhere between a moan and a whimper.

"I'll take that as a yes." He moved his mouth to her other nipple and began to gently caress it with his mouth and tongue. Belle squirmed and whimpered under him.

Gold smiled. He began to trail kisses down her stomach while he continued to tease her nipples with his fingers. He stopped when he got to her navel. "Rum." Belle opened her legs wider so that he could kneel between them. Gold's cock got harder at her invitation. She was so alluring and sexy and uninhibited.

'What is it, darling?" He looked teasingly up at her. He was perfectly aware of what she wanted.

"Mmm…" She arched her back.

Gold kissed the insides of her thighs. She moaned and raised her hips. Gold chuckled. "I know, sweetheart, I know." He began to separate her folds with his fingers. He gradually made his way to her clit and gently stroked it with his fingers. Belle let out a little cry and raised herself to force more contact. "There's nothing I'd rather do than make you feel good any way you'd like, darling." He gently pushed two fingers into her while he continued to stroke her clit. She let out little cries. Gold bent closer to her. "I need to taste you, sweetheart." He put his tongue on her clit where his finger had been and Belle gasped and arched against him. She put both hands on his head and spread her legs wider. Gold licked her and sucked her until she was crying out for release. His cock was so engorged that he thought he might come without even entering her. Suddenly her body clenched his fingers and her juices flowed out of her. She collapsed onto the bed.

"Rum." He could barely hear her. He moved up to lie next to her.

"You OK, Belle?" He pushed the hair back from her face.

"I never felt anything as good as that before."

He smiled. "You did seem to like it." She was so easy to tease.

She put her leg over his hip so that he could rub his cock against her. "What do you want, Rum?"

"I want to be in you. Is that OK with you?"

"Mmmm…. Yes, I want that too." She kissed him on the lips.

Gold continued to gently rub his cock against her opening and her clit. He wanted her to be ready to come again with him in her. Belle could feel her arousal building again. She whimpered and he knew that she was ready. He shifted so that he was now positioned above her.

He took his cock in his hand and pushed the head into her. She gasped at the initial entry and he stopped a second to adjust to the tight fit. His first instinct was to push hard and fast into her. He was so incredibly aroused that he didn't know what to do with himself, but they were still getting used to each other and he didn't want to hurt her. He forced himself to hold back a little and then slowly pushed all the way in. He marveled again at how perfectly they fit together. If he wasn't so desperate for release he would have been happy to just stay joined together like this.

He looked at Belle and smiled. "OK?"

"Yes, perfect." She smiled back.

They held each other's gaze and he began to slowly thrust into her. Belle began to move her hips to keep in rhythm with him. He leaned down to kiss her. "Good, darling. That's good."

He increased his speed and varied the depth of his thrusts.

"Mmmm…" Belle arched her hips further and then wrapped her legs around his waist.

Gold chuckled. "Hmmm?"

"Deeper, Rum. Faster and deeper."

"Ok, sweetheart." He was more than happy to oblige. She wanted the same thing he did. He stayed deeper in her so that he could shorten and quicken his thrusts, grinding against her clit every time their bodies met.

Belle began to whimper and moan.

He was so close to coming. He put one of her legs over her his shoulder and then got on his knees and put one hand under her butt to pull her closer to him.

He moaned. He could feel himself losing control. Belle's body began to contract around his cock. He rapidly and erratically thrust into her. Her whole body shuddered and she cried out as she came. Gold's body tensed as his seed poured out of him. He thrust into her until her contractions stopped and the last bit of seed had been sucked from his body.

They collapsed next to each other on the bed. Belle was still whimpering and Gold was breathing heavily.

"Was that good for you, sweetheart?"

She sighed and smiled back at him. "It was perfect, Rum. I never came that way before."

"Really? Is that why you like to be on top?"

"Partially. Last night I needed you to know how much I wanted you. Plus you make me feel sexy when you look at me." She blushed. "It excites me."

If he hadn't just come his cock would have hardened. "I'll be happy to look at you any time you want, sweetheart."

She giggled and then she blushed a little. "I feel completely uninhibited with you, Rum. I've never felt that way before."

He was torn as to how to respond. "I told you we had something special, Belle. There's a very intense connection between us…" He paused. "… it's physical and it's much more than that."

"I know." She ran her fingers through his hair.

"Rum…" She ran her fingers through his hair again. "I have so many feelings."

"Oh, Belle." He pulled her close. "So do I."

They continued looking at each other, both wanting to say more, but neither able to formulate the words.

Belle stroked his cheek and softly kissed his lips. "I should probably get back to my room. I'd rather my father didn't see me leaving your room this morning."

"Yes. I'd rather he didn't also. He's finally starting to come around a little. I doubt that he'd be happy to know you spent the night with me."

They kissed for a while longer and then Belle got up to go. She got dressed and then Gold walked her to the door.

"I'll meet you on the balcony in a little while for breakfast." She gave him one last kiss.

He watched her climb the stairs to her room. He waited until she closed her door before he went back into his.

Gold never stopped thinking about Belle as he got ready. He felt as though they'd reached a new point in their relationship. Their physical intimacy was very much tied to their emotional intimacy. He could not separate one from the other.

When he finished getting ready he went out onto the balcony to wait for Belle. He couldn't contain the smile that was on his lips.

"You look mighty happy this morning." Moe's voice startled Gold.

"Moe, I didn't realize you were up already." Gold felt a sense of foreboding that he could not explain.

"Did you and Belle enjoy your evening? You'd both gone to bed by the time I returned last night." Moe's tone had an edge to it that Gold hoped he was imagining.

"Yes, we had a lovely evening." Gold was watching Moe carefully as he answered.

"You must have been very tired." Gold had no idea where Moe was going with this.

"Yes, yes, we were." He felt like a mouse and that Moe was the cat who was toying with him.

"I thought as much. I found your tie over the chair in the living room this morning." Moe handed it to him.

Gold realized that he'd been holding his breath and now released it. "Ah… I couldn't wait to get it off last night. I'm getting used to being more casual since I've been on this cruise."

"Yes…" Moe hesitated. "You must have felt the same about your sock. I found it on the balcony." He pointed to it on the chair.

Gold swallowed a little. "Yes. I'm also getting used to going barefoot."

Moe nodded. "Are you also getting used to going without pants? Your belt was under the lounge chair."

Gold searched for an answer. "Some items of clothing are very constricting… a belt being one of them."

"I'm sure." Moe sat there staring at him. An endless minute passed without either of them saying another word.

Moe finally broke the silence. "Oh… and I think you dropped these."

Moe handed him the package of condoms. Gold stood there with the condoms in his hand. "Yes. Yes. I did." He put them in his pants pocket. He had no idea what was going through Moe's mind.

Belle chose that moment to join them. She was positively glowing. The sight of her made Gold smile even though he knew that Moe was staring intently at him. Belle never took her eyes off of him. She stopped to give her father a kiss on the cheek and then she walked over to Gold. She kissed him on the lips and he put his arm around her waist. Moe watched their every move.

"I'm absolutely starving this morning. Let's go get breakfast. Are you going to join us, Dad?"

Moe didn't hesitate. "Yes. I'd like that." He caught Gold's eye.

Gold was not sure where this was heading. He was sorry that Moe had found the condoms and the belt, but he was not going to pretend about his relationship with Belle.

Belle cheerfully carried the conversation all the way to the dining room. It was obvious that she was happy and Gold's heart was light knowing that.

Like the previous time, Gold and Belle got through the buffet line a lot faster than Moe. They found a table outside in a shady spot.

"Is something wrong, Rum?" Belle put her hand over his. "You're not regretting last night, are you?"

Gold's heart almost stopped. "I want every night to be like last night, sweetheart, and every morning to be like this morning."

Belle smiled a smile that made Gold's heart skip several beats.

He smiled back. Then he got serious. "Your father found my belt and the package of condoms on the balcony this morning."

"Oh…" Belle looked concerned for a moment. "Listen, Rum, my dad has to come to terms with us. He's been anxious for me to meet someone special and I have." She put her hand over his. "He can't think that we're going to sit around just holding hands."

Gold looked unconvinced. "I think he'd like to believe that's all we're doing."

"He's seen us together. He knows we're pretty physical with one another." Belle squeezed his hand. "I'm not going to apologize for how I feel and you aren't either. And we're not going to hide how we feel."

Now Gold wanted to pull her on his lap again. "You always know the right things to say, Belle. You really are much wiser than I am."

She smiled widely. "No, I'm not… I'm just more comfortable with my dad than you are."

She leaned forward to kiss him and then she giggled. Gold started to grin. "May I ask what's amusing you now?"

She giggled more. "I'm sorry, but the thought of him finding those glittery gold condoms is just too funny to me. He must really be wondering about you."

Gold had to laugh. Moe only knew him as a very conservative and very controlled person. He couldn't imagine what he could be thinking about those condoms when he wasn't seething about what was going on between the two of them.

"Well, when you put it that way, it is pretty funny." He loved seeing her laugh and he was happy she wasn't upset.

He leaned forward and kissed her.

Moe cleared his throat as he approached the table. "I'm sorry to interrupt."

"You're not interrupting, Dad." Belle smiled at him.

Moe seated himself and looked at Belle. He noted again that she was literally glowing. There was no doubt that she was happier than he'd ever seen her.

"So you two had a nice night together?" He asked her the same question he had asked Gold.

"Yes, it was the perfect night." Belle looked at Gold and put her hand over his. He smiled happily back at her. Once again Moe felt as though he was watching a very intimate exchange.

"Did Gold tell you he ran into me in the sundry store?"

"Yes, he said he ran into you and David."

"Yes… so what did you two end up doing all evening?" Moe's question surprised Gold. He usually reserved these pointed questions for him.

"We spent the evening enjoying each other's company. Like I said, it was the perfect night in every way." Her eyes were still locked with Gold's. "What did you end up doing, Dad?"

"I spent some time in the casino again with Gaston and Jefferson, but I was tired and came back to the room early. I was surprised that you two had already gone to bed."

"We were tired too. That's why we didn't go out last night." Gold was awed by how composed Belle was when dealing with her father.

"So what do you have planned for today?"

Belle hesitated. "We haven't discussed it yet, but I was thinking that it would be fun to go to the art auction this morning. What do you think, Rum?"

"You know I'm willing to do whatever you want. Are you planning to buy a piece of art?" Gold was thankful that she hadn't mentioned more napkin folding or flower arranging.

"No, I don't think I can afford anything, but I've never been to an art auction before. I'd like to see how it works."

"Well, you already know that I'm a collector so I'm more than happy to go with you. I think you'll enjoy it. Who knows? Maybe I'll find something that I want to purchase." Gold liked the idea of sharing this experience with Belle.

Belle turned to her father. "What about you, Dad? Do you have any plans?"

"I'm laying low today. I'm meeting Ruby and Dr. Hopper at the pool. I'm just going to relax and read. Then I'm supposed to go with them to be in some type of bingo tournament. Mary Margaret and David are supposed to be there too."

Gold chuckled to himself. He wondered what else Nolan was going to be up to.

Belle giggled. "Do you want to join them, Rum?" She knew it was the last thing he wanted to do.

"No, darling, I don't." He grinned at her.

She put on a sad face. "I think it will be fun."

"You're determined to torture me, aren't you?"

She giggled again. "And you know that I'm very good at getting my way." Gold thought back to the night before and how Belle had had her way with him. He could not believe that he felt aroused again.

"You know full well that if you want to be in the tournament then we'll be in the tournament." How he wanted to pull her against him. His body needed to feel hers.

"I'll think about it… unless you have something better in mind." She gave him a look that he had to force himself to ignore. Moe was still there watching them.

"I'll let you know." He gave her a stern look that sent her into peals of laughter. He could not suppress his own grin.

Moe sat there looking thoughtfully at them. Belle was so happy. He had to keep reminding himself of that.

Moe suddenly laughed himself. "My daughter has you whipped, old man."

Gold's heart stopped again. Maybe Moe wasn't as upset as he had thought. "I thought that was our little secret, Moe."

Belle and Moe both laughed in response and Gold joined in. Moe had to wipe the tears that were forming in his eyes.

The tension that had been in the air vanished and the rest of the breakfast was filled with conversation and laughing.

When they returned to the suite Moe asked Gold to speak with him out on the balcony. Belle gave him a reassuring look before heading off to her room.

"What is it Moe?" Gold was bracing himself for the worst.

"Listen, Gold. I don't want to know what's going on between you and Belle. I realize that it's between the two of you…" Moe hesitated.

Gold knew he had more to say. "But? Just say it, Moe."

"I noticed that you didn't open the package of condoms yet. I just want you to think about what's going to happen after this cruise ends before you do. Belle is completely taken with you. I don't want her to have her heart broken."

Gold understood what he was saying. "I already told you that I'm serious about this, Moe. This is not a fling. I can assure you that Belle and I will find a way to make this work." He realized that Belle had not yet told Moe that she was moving back to Storybrooke to work at the library. It was Belle's surprise to share with Moe, not his.

"OK, then. It's going to be hard for me, but I'm going to back off for Belle's sake." Moe looked unconvinced of his own words as he said it. Gold knew this was not easy for him.

"Thank you." Gold extended his hand to Moe. "I want nothing but the best for Belle. I can promise you that." They shook hands.

"Are we done here?" Gold was anxious to end the conversation. He was extremely private about his personal life and yet he'd been forced to discuss some of the most intimate aspects of it with various people on this trip.

Moe cleared his throat. "Just one more thing."

"Yes?" Gold braced himself again.

"Glittery Gold? I really don't know you at all, do I?" Moe sounded incredulous.

Gold groaned. "No comment, Moe. Let's leave it at that."

Gold returned to his room. On the one hand he was happy that he and Moe had finally cleared the air; on the other he was mortified that he'd had to discuss intimate details of his love life with the man. He wasn't sure that Moe would ever be happy that Belle was with him, but at least Moe had agreed to accept his daughter's choice and be happy for her. And the man had finally acknowledged that his daughter's love life was her business, not his.

He finished getting ready and then went back out to the living area. Belle and Moe were sitting together on the couch talking. Belle's face lit up with a huge smile when she saw him. She kissed Moe on the cheek and then got up to join Gold.

"Maybe we'll see you at the bingo tournament later." Belle directed her comment to Moe as she linked her arm in Gold's.

"I'd like that." Moe smiled at her and nodded to Gold. "Have fun at the art auction."

"We will." She squeezed Gold's arm and led him out of the suite.

She led him partially down the corridor and then pushed him against the wall and kissed him.

When they parted lips Gold grinned at her. "What was that for?"

"For whatever you said to my father to make him finally acknowledge that I'm my own person who has to make my own decisions. I felt as though he finally looked at me as a woman and not as a child. It's taken him forever to get to this point."

"I think the condoms may have been his wake-up call." Gold teased her.

She laughed. "All kidding aside, Rum, I think it's true. Maybe that forced him to accept that I'm all grown up."

Gold laughed now. "All grown up and involved with a man who uses glittery gold condoms."

Belle giggled. "He didn't say anything about that, did he?"

"Yes, he did." Gold tried not to smile.

Belle giggled. "What did he say?"

"He commented on them and said he obviously doesn't know me at all."

She giggled again and then she got serious. "I'm sorry you've had to go through all of this, Rum. I'm sure you haven't had to deal with anything like this since you were a teenager."

"True. But it doesn't matter. I've always understood where he was coming from."

Belle kissed him again. "Thanks, Rum."

They started walking again. "We're actually a little early for the auction. Should we go for a walk on one of the outside decks?"

"Yes, I like spending time with you, Belle. It doesn't matter what we're doing." He pulled her closer.

"Do you mean that?" She looked expectantly at him.

"Yes." He gave her a mischievous grin. "Though some things are more fun than others."

"I agree." She smiled seductively at him and his body immediately responded.

They continued walking and talking. When they got to a quiet spot on the deck, they stood together at the railing looking out at the water.

"What did your father think about the young man who asked you to marry him?" Gold was curious about the relationship and how Moe handled it.

"Dad liked Jason a lot, but he looked at both of us as kids."

"He wasn't as concerned about your love life back then?"

"No, I think he was in denial. For some reason he didn't seem concerned about what I was up to."

"So what do you think is so special about me that has him so interested?"

"That's easy, Rum. He didn't think of Jason as a man. He couldn't pretend that you weren't one. In his mind that meant that you'd want an adult relationship with me and he wasn't ready to accept it."

"Ah, Belle. So wise. I do adore that about you." He bent forward and kissed the top of her head. "Was your dad upset when you didn't accept Jason's proposal?"

"A little. I think he was more upset about the fact that I didn't have that much interest in dating after that. He didn't think I could be happy being alone. I never agreed with him."

"You **are** very independent. I admire that about you, Belle."

Belle smiled happily again. She felt so good when he complimented her.

"What about you, Rum? Have you been happy being alone?"

Gold thought about it for a while. "I had more or less reconciled myself to being alone. I never expected to meet anyone again so I made a life for myself." He looked at her. "But now that I've met you, I don't want to be alone... I want to be with you."

Belle felt a shiver run through her body. "And I want to be with you."

Once again Gold felt as though they'd reached a new point in their relationship. The way Belle was looking at him made him know that she felt the same way. And, whereas before they had not been able to formulate the words to express how they were feeling, these few simple words seemed to say so much.

"Your father wanted to know what was going to happen to us when the cruise was over. I didn't tell him that you were moving back to Storybrooke."

She kissed him. "So what **is **going to happen to us?"

"That's simple, sweetheart. I want to be with you and you want to be with me. I think that means that you and I are going to be together. Agreed?"

Belle kissed him. "Agreed."

Gold's heart beat faster. Deep down he knew that they were meant to be together. He just hadn't realized how much he needed to hear it said aloud. It made him a feel a lot more confident about where they were heading.


End file.
